Needlework Pillowcase

Between 1950-1959

In the mid-twentieth century, handmade goods began taking on new significance amidst an increasingly industrialized and consumer-oriented society. This cotton pillowcase features two kinds of needlework along its scalloped edge. Embroidery and eyelet create a daisy-like pattern that follows the scallop’s contours, while crocheted lace forms a filigree border. The texture, rather than color, of the embroidery and lace contrasts with the pillowcase, as all are in shades of cream. In addition to offering homemade touches to interior décor, linens also served as emblems of respectability and upstanding citizenship. 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.