Embroidered Pillowcase

Between 1950-1959

In the mid-twentieth century, smaller, single-family homes and new appliances eased the burden of housework, offering some women more time for creative endeavors. Middle-class women of all races took great pride in decorating their homes with their own handiwork. This cotton pillowcase features an embroidered floral pattern along its scalloped edge. Bold blue blossoms and petite pink petals, both with French-knotted yellow centers, grow from leafy, green stems on white fabric. Pillowcases like this one crafted by Therese Withington Ford are among the textiles (2008.0002.0006a-i) made by the college-educated African American women of the Ford family to adorn their Jersey City, NJ home.