Quilts and other bed coverings in the Canadian tradition

Plot

As a material history study of bedding in Upper Canada, McKendry's book is commendable in many ways. It is refreshing to see someone presenting a craft from the point of view of material culture, attempting to set this craft within its social and economic context rather than presenting us with yet another collector's guide to a particular antique. As William E. Taylor points out in the foreward, material history is a "still young discipline," whose methodology is yet to be clearly established. Any attempt at this approach breaks new ground. McKendry's approach is to trace the production of beds and bed coverings through all stages from raw material to finished item. The availability of manufactured materials, production of homespun, the bed, the bedstead, and all the bed furnishings are examined thoroughly. In so doing the author makes clear the importance of textile and bedding production for the household and thereby brings into focus one of the many roles that women played in the family economy.