Gore Place Sprig , a surprisingly modern rendition of the always popular sprig-type design, belongs in relatively sparsely populated design category: the major negative area of the pattern – the background – is the block printed portion. It is the “tree” shape which is the color of the ground paint, showing through the holes in the print. This is the reverse configuration of most block printed patterns.

Gore Place was completed in 1806 and served as the home of Christopher and Rebecca Gore. Christopher served a short term as governor of Massachusetts and later, as a US Senator. While there were a number of large scale patterns in the major rooms of the mansion, the short hall between Gore’s office and library was decorated with this modest design.