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Brief description |
Patchwork rug used by the Offerdahl family, Town of Springdale, Dane County, ca. 1920-1940. |
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Object name |
Rug |
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Alternate object name |
Penny rug; Throw rug |
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Maker |
possibly Offerdahl, Leola, 1901-1989 |
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Date |
ca. 1920-1940 |
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Dimensions |
46"L x 30"W |
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Materials and techniques |
Pieced and layered scraps of wool |
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Location of use |
Springdale, Dane County, Wisconsin |
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Current location |
Mt. Horeb, Dane County, Wisconsin |
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Description |
This rug is made up of layers of small pieces of wool and other suiting fabrics arranged in concentric rectangles. The edges of each piece are hemmed with blanket stitching in contrasting colors of green, yellow, or red. These pieces are attached to a white and blue woven rag rug which functions at the backing. Rag rugs built up of overlapping circular patches are called "penny rugs"; those with rectangular patches with two rounded corners, such as this example, are known as "shingle rugs" or "tongue rugs." |
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History |
This rug descended in the family of Leola and Edwin Offerdahl of the Town of Springdale, Dane County, Wisconsin. Leola (1901-1989) was a daughter of William and Emma Kahl of Springdale. She married Edwin Offerdahl (1898-1988), also of Springdale, in 1921. In addition to farming, Edwin worked as a butcher and Leola served as a teacher in local schools. The couple eventually retired to Verona, Dane County, Wisconsin. Information compiled by Susan Bostian Young, 2010. |
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Sources |
Edwin Offerdahl obituary, Wisconsin State Journal, March 28, 1988 and Leola Offerdahl obituary, Wisconsin State Journal, August 28, 1989 via Find A Grave, accessed November 9, 2010: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=42407874 A wedding portrait of Edwin and Leola Offerdahl is on file at the Mt. Horeb Area Historical Society. For more on tongue rugs and their variations, see Gordon Campbell, ed., Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts, vol. 2 (Oxford University Press, 2006), p. 298 and Gerard C. Wertkin and Lee Kogan, eds., Encyclopedia of American Folk Art (American Folk Art Museum, 2004) p. 444. |
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Owner |
Mt. Horeb Area Historical Society |
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Object # |
1988.048.0016 |
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Rights |
(c) 2007 by the Mount Horeb Area Historical Society. Contact the owner for more information. http://www.mounthoreb.org/ |
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Digital collection |
Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database |
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Digital identifier |
MH026 |
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Digital format |
image/jpeg |
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Type |
Physical object |
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Keywords |
Textiles; Throw rug; Rug; Furnishings (artifacts); Furnishings and equipment; Floor coverings |
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Date digitized |
2007-06-05 |
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Date modified |
2010-11-09 |
