Although little is known about the provenance of this linen tablecloth, the needlework executed in silk thread is exceedingly fine and delicate. The embroidery shows the various stages in the life of a rose from bud to falling petals. The rose colors range from a very light pink to a deep red.
Evelyn Gustafson (1906–1996) donated the tablecloth to the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection in 1992. Evelyn’s sister Dagmar Gustafson (1903–1983) was head of the Department of Textiles and Clothing (now the Department of Design and Merchandising) at Colorado State University from the 1950s until her retirement in 1968, and she established the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection at the university; the collection currently houses about 12,000 objects. The Gustafson Gallery in the Gifford Building on the university campus was dedicated to Dagmar in 1987. Both Dagmar and Evelyn were passionate collectors and made significant contributions to the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection.
Linda Carlson was the curator, Historic Collections, at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.
This article was published in the January/February 2004 issue of PieceWork.