David Haring; coverlet, Jacquard double-cloth; 1832; New Jersey

David Haring (1800-1889) wove this Figured and Fancy, blue and white, double cloth coverlet in 1832 in Harrington Township, Bergen County, New Jersey. The coverlet has self-fringe along the bottom border. The centerfield design is made up of three columns of motifs. The outer columns feature doubled pairs of flowers including roses, tulips, and possibly pansies. The central column depicts pairs of tulips and Eagle medallions. The border depicts Federal style churches flanked by tulip trees with birds, dogs, and possibly squirrels and flowering urns. The initials "S*D" and the date “March 3, 1832” appear woven into each corner. This coverlet is constructed of two panels, woven as one length, and joined with a center seam. The coverlet was owned by ancestors of the donor. According to the family, the initials are not one person’s name, but rather a marriage cypher—S standing for Smith and D standing for the wife’s maiden name. The date, March 3, 1832 being the wedding date. More research is needed to confirm this detail. David Haring was born in New Jersey and is one of the few coverlet weavers documented as owning a Jacquard mechanism for his loom. The attachment was likely purchased in nearby Jersey City, a center for loom and weaving equipment. James Lightbody, a Scottish immigrant, is one of the few known makers of these attachments and could very well have produced Haring’s attachment. Haring, like many other coverlet weavers was not just a professional weaver but an emerging businessman. State census records record him as engaging in trades and manufactures throughout much of the first half of the nineteenth century. He inherited sizeable land holdings and money from his wife, Leah Verveelen and was able to use this newfound wealth to expand the family’s economic influence. At the time of his death in 1889, Haring’s estate, not including real estate, was valued at over $42,000.

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