John Hewson - Calico(e) Prints
John Hewson, the first important and well documented textile printer in America, arrived in Philadelphia from London in September 1773 at the invitation of Benjamin Franklin.
Trained to produce the highest quality block-printed textiles at Bromley Hall in London, Hewson set up a "Calicoe Printing Manufactory" almost immediately. He quickly gained fame for his flowered dress goods, printed coverlets, and panels. Though they may have been originally intended as handkerchiefs, many of the dozen or so that survived were used as center panels in quilts.
These treasured high-style bedcovers usually have several wide borders of vibrant chintz, some with complex pieced or appliquéd areas. The panels all show a graceful vase filled with flowers and surrounded by birds and butterflies. The fabric was printed in stages and certain colors were hand painted.
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| Calico Printing Fisher, Son and Co. London 1835 |
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