Whoever made this brilliantly-colored wallet for a prosperous Pennsylvania farmer took care to stitch his name, John Pawlings, into the pattern of the back. Likely the work of a woman in the Pawlings family - a wife, mother, daughter, or sister - the personalization would have also added a touch of security; there’d be no doubt as to the owner of the wallet. But when she also embroidered the date she’d completed her needlework - 1776 - she’d have had no idea of how significant that date would become over time, or how the American Revolution that is synonymous with that year would soon invade her family’s home.
After the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, Commander-in-Chief Gen. George Washington and the Continental Army settled at a strategic location outside of Philadelphia for their winter encampment. Surrounded by farmland, Valley Forge was close to the Schuylkill River, which flowed directly into British-occupied Philadelphia. The few houses scattered about the area became headquarters for various senior officers, their staffs, and military departments. The house and property of James Pawlings, across the river, became headquarters for the army’s commissary department. The Pawlings family would have shared many of the same hardships as the army during the long winter, including food shortages, illnesses, and the dramatic disruption of everyday life. When the army left the following spring, the damages and scars to the land would remain visible for generations.
The wallet is worked in wool thread in Irish stitch, the distinctive stitch’s most popular name in 18thc America; in other places and eras, it has also been called Bargello work, Florentine work, or flame stitch. The threads of the linen backing cloth or canvas are counted to keep each stitch consistent within the geometric pattern, while the stitches themselves are worked closely together to create a dense, substantial surface that completely covers the canvas. By tradition, the stylized carnations could have symbolized love and affection, while pink carnations like the ones here can also represent a mother’s undying love. While the wallet was used by James Pawlings, the embroidered “1776” - along with the family’s involvement in the Continental Army’s nearby encampment - probably gave the wallet extra meaning to him and to his descendants. It remains in excellent condition, nearly 250 years later.
Currently on display, the wallet was recently acquired by the Museum of the American Revolution from the collection of Michael Kvietkauskas and Maria Savini, with thanks to the generous support of the Museum’s Collection Society.
Wallet, made in Pennsylvania, 1775. Museum of the American Revolution. Photograph courtesy of MoAR.
My latest historical novel, The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr, is now available everywhere. Order here.