Textiles

The 50,000 objects in the textile collections fall into two main categories: raw fibers, yarns, and fabrics, and machines, tools, and other textile technology. Shawls, coverlets, samplers, laces, linens, synthetics, and other fabrics are part of the first group, along with the 400 quilts in the National Quilt Collection. Some of the Museum's most popular artifacts, such as the Star-Spangled Banner and the gowns of the first ladies, have an obvious textile connection.

The machinery and tools include spinning wheels, sewing machines, thimbles, needlework tools, looms, and an invention that changed the course of American agriculture and society. A model of Eli Whitney's cotton gin, made by the inventor in the early 1800s, shows the workings of a machine that helped make cotton plantations profitable in the South and encouraged the spread of slavery.

A sample length of William Skinner & Sons nylon parachute cloth from World War II.
Description
A sample length of William Skinner & Sons nylon parachute cloth from World War II. A smooth, close, semi-transparent plain weave nylon fabric.; Camouflage design in two tones of green (medium and dark) on a lighter green ground with irregular shaped blotch patterns simulating foliage and according to the original paperwork from the manufacturer, designed as protective coloring for army parachutes.
William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1945
ID Number
TE.T09146.000
accession number
170051
catalog number
T09146.000
William Skinner and Sons Parachute Flare Cloth silk plain weave fabric length; 1941.Sheer, originally stiff (now soft) fabric for making parachutes for flares. Plain weave, all-silk. Quality 9357, Lot. No. 19079. White colored. Thread count 130 x 108.
Description
William Skinner and Sons Parachute Flare Cloth silk plain weave fabric length; 1941.
Sheer, originally stiff (now soft) fabric for making parachutes for flares. Plain weave, all-silk. Quality 9357, Lot. No. 19079. White colored. Thread count 130 x 108. Woven in Holyoke, MA.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1941
ID Number
TE.T08576.000
accession number
161884
catalog number
T08576.000
William Skinner and Sons "Escape Parachute Cloth," or "Canopy Cloth" white silk twill fabric length, 1941.Lightweight, soft silk fabric used in making soldiers' parachutes. Commercial names: Escape Parachute Cloth or Canopy Cloth. Manufacturer's notes: Twill weave, 2 x 1.
Description
William Skinner and Sons "Escape Parachute Cloth," or "Canopy Cloth" white silk twill fabric length, 1941.
Lightweight, soft silk fabric used in making soldiers' parachutes. Commercial names: Escape Parachute Cloth or Canopy Cloth. Manufacturer's notes: Twill weave, 2 x 1. Quality Exp 302A, Lot No. 47539. Color white. Thread count 288 x 84. Used in World War II. Woven in Holyoke, MA by William Skinner and Sons. Small rivet-like indentions on one side of the length, spanning all the way across every few inches.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1941
ID Number
TE.T08575.000
accession number
161884
catalog number
T08575.000
Over 5,000 hexagonally shaped patches of plain and printed cottons were used to create the quilt. It is outline-quilted at 10 stitches per inch. It was quilted on a frame made by Emma’s grandfather in 1833.
Description
Over 5,000 hexagonally shaped patches of plain and printed cottons were used to create the quilt. It is outline-quilted at 10 stitches per inch. It was quilted on a frame made by Emma’s grandfather in 1833. The frame was used in the family until it was donated with the quilt in 1988.
Emma Mundorff’s grandfather, Philip Snyder, was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1801. He and his wife, Maria, immigrated to the U.S. in 1832 and settled near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Granddaughter Emma Culp was born in 1869. Her family farm, “Culp’s Hill,” is part of Gettysburg Battlefield history. She married Jacob Mundorff (1863-1915) in 1886.
Emma made quilts for herself, her four children, and eight grandchildren. Her masterpiece, “Flower Garden,” was made in 1949 when she was 80 years old.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1949
maker
Mundorff, Emma Culp
ID Number
1988.0123.01
catalog number
1988.0123.01
accession number
1988.0123
Men's printed necktie; William Skinner and Sons. Viscose rayon crepe jacquard; 1945. World War II Jeep design, printed on viscose rayon crepe jacquard necktie, made in 1945. Thread provided by William Skinner and Sons in Holyoke, MA, Screen printing and weaving by A.
Description
Men's printed necktie; William Skinner and Sons. Viscose rayon crepe jacquard; 1945. World War II Jeep design, printed on viscose rayon crepe jacquard necktie, made in 1945. Thread provided by William Skinner and Sons in Holyoke, MA, Screen printing and weaving by A. Sulka & Company. Screen printed red figures, green Jeep, and dark blue background forming pattern no. 9158 small army automobile. Made of T.9141.01. Off-color jacquard all viscose rayon crepe. Same fabric as T-9137 after steaming. Satin circles on fabric. Machine stitched center back rectangle. Hand stitched body. White lining.
William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1945
maker
A. Sulka & Company
William Skinner and Sons
ID Number
TE.T09141.002
accession number
170051
William Skinner and Sons wool back rayon ribbed poplin fabric length; 1946. Strong, soft flexible fabric with face of fine warp threads confining separated groups of filling threads so as to form a series of ribs across the width of the fabric with heavily napped back.
Description
William Skinner and Sons wool back rayon ribbed poplin fabric length; 1946. Strong, soft flexible fabric with face of fine warp threads confining separated groups of filling threads so as to form a series of ribs across the width of the fabric with heavily napped back. Yarn sizes - warp 100/40 viscose rayon, weft 2 picks 300 denier viscose rayon, 2 picks 1/26 worsted. Fiber content by weight is 70% rayon 30% wool. Scarlet colored. Used for B-9 helmet for Army-Air Force and lining for jackets, coats and military capes.
William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
ID Number
TE.T09679.000
accession number
172805
catalog number
T09679.000
Sample Foundation garment; made of William Skinner and Sons nylon satin and nylon netting; 1946. Rose pink woman's foundation garment; all in one bust to hip, made of nylon satin and nylon netting in 1946. Fabric made in Holyoke, MA.Used as an application of T-9665.
Description
Sample Foundation garment; made of William Skinner and Sons nylon satin and nylon netting; 1946. Rose pink woman's foundation garment; all in one bust to hip, made of nylon satin and nylon netting in 1946. Fabric made in Holyoke, MA.
Used as an application of T-9665. Flat-felled seams covered wtih a pink twill tape on interior and hem. Six nonadjustable length metal garters with nude elastic straps. Princess seams with open embroidery chain stitching. Pale pink ribbons in between nylon netting layers under cups. Metal closure and metal adjustments for grosgrain ribbon straps. Darts on cups, gusset center front with stretch nylon. Side hem is serged and topstitched with a zig zag. Garters attached with a machine stitched X. Fifteen hook and eye metal closures left side. Stretch pink nylon on side waists. Nylon netting with no stretch on cups. Netted piping at top of bust. No underwire.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
maker
William Skinner and Sons
ID Number
TE.T09666.000
catalog number
T09666.000
date made
1942-1945
ID Number
TE.T09572
accession number
172665
date made
1942-1945
ID Number
TE.T09573
accession number
172665
William Skinner and Sons Nylon Twill: "Combat Cloth" pansy fabric length; 1946.36" fabric length of fine, smooth stout, slightly stiff, close fabric in 3/1 twill weave to the right, counting 364 x 76; yarn sizes - warp 70/34/7 and weft 210/68/1. 100% nylon. Pansy color (purple).
Description
William Skinner and Sons Nylon Twill: "Combat Cloth" pansy fabric length; 1946.
36" fabric length of fine, smooth stout, slightly stiff, close fabric in 3/1 twill weave to the right, counting 364 x 76; yarn sizes - warp 70/34/7 and weft 210/68/1. 100% nylon. Pansy color (purple). Used for soles of electrically heated shoes, casualty blankets, coating purposes for government development, football pants, and basketball uniforms. Commercially known as Combat Cloth.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
ID Number
TE.T09673.000
accession number
172805
catalog number
T09673.000
William Skinner and Sons rayon and cotton "Tackle Twill" olive drab selvedge width fabric length; 1941. Manufacturer's notes: Quality 8245, color 902E (olive drab).
Description
William Skinner and Sons rayon and cotton "Tackle Twill" olive drab selvedge width fabric length; 1941. Manufacturer's notes: Quality 8245, color 902E (olive drab). Rayon 3/1 twilled face, cotton poplin back; warp is a special yarn of the same type used in the manufacture of automobile tire cords because of its quality of strength of wear resistance. The filling is a long staple 3-ply cotton yarn. Used as uniform matieral for the first parachute division of the U.S. Army. Vat dyed, fast color, "Long Life" Cravenette water repellent finish. Cold water shrunk three times to full the fabric. Manufacturer claimed that it cost as much to finish the fabric as to make it.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1941
maker
William Skinner and Sons
ID Number
TE.T08535.000
catalog number
T08535.000
Aimee Elkington was twelve when she first embroidered a ribbon for this decorative parlor throw in 1877.
Description
Aimee Elkington was twelve when she first embroidered a ribbon for this decorative parlor throw in 1877. It was the beginning of the popularity of “crazy quilts,” decorative tops that were pieced of irregularly shaped bits of silk fabrics, elaborately embroidered, and lined with a silk or cotton fabric. While some may have been used as bedcovers, more often they were displayed in the parlor.
Merchants sold packages of fabric samples, instructions for assembling them, and embroidery patterns to add an endless variety of designs and ornamental stitches. Often the throws were individualized by incorporating mementoes such as campaign ribbons, embroidered or printed poems, and significant phrases, dates or initials. Aimee employed many of the popular motifs and techniques on her throw.
The parlor throw is composed of twenty-five crazy-patched and embroidered blocks. In 1946, almost seventy years after she first started, Aimee joined the blocks together. She died shortly after, before she could add a planned border and lining. Among the motifs are fans, cattails, sunflowers, spider webs, and hearts, all frequently found on other parlor throws. Flowers were not only embroidered but also made of puckered and tacked velvet, padded silk pile, or silk floss that was tacked down and sheared. Applique, crazy patchwork, hand-painting, and fancy embroidery stitches were used to create the elaborate top.
The embroidered initials “AE” in the center signify Aimee Elkington. Some of the blocks may have memorialized friends, such as the crane motif, said to be included for a friend named Crane. A poem, “Easter” by William Croswell, printed on one silk patch, may have had special significance for Aimee. The silk, satin, and velvet fabrics are typical of the period, as are the many colors of silk embroidery thread, chenille, and metallic cord used to embellish them. Created over a lifetime, it is in the rendition that Aimee created a unique and very personal object.
Aimee Elkington was born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1865. She married a Mr. Shepherd, and the couple's daughter, Glaydes, was born in Florida about 1890. On the 1900 census, Aimee was widowed, she and young daughter were living with her mother, Elizabeth Elkington Power, and stepfather, Samuel Power, in Eustis, Lake County, Fla. By 1910 Aimee had remarried, to John L. Hodge, and was living in Lucas, Ohio. As a young child in 1868, John had moved from Canada to the United States. Aimee died in 1946. Glaydes, Aimee’s daughter, donated the quilt (parlor throw) in 1970 and was “delighted to have [my mother’s quilt] in an interesting and wonderful place.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1877-1946
maker
Hodge, Aimee Elkington
ID Number
TE.T15200A
catalog number
T15200A
accession number
291108
William Skinner and Sons satin nylon fabric length; 1946. Smooth, soft, close fabric, used for ballet slippers & corsets. See T09666.000, foundation garment or T09667A-B, ballet slippers for application of fabric. 8 shaft satin weave, counting 512 x 112.
Description
William Skinner and Sons satin nylon fabric length; 1946. Smooth, soft, close fabric, used for ballet slippers & corsets. See T09666.000, foundation garment or T09667A-B, ballet slippers for application of fabric. 8 shaft satin weave, counting 512 x 112. Yarn sizes - warp 40/13, weft 105/34. 100% nylon in nude color.
William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
ID Number
TE.T09665.000
accession number
172805
catalog number
T09665.000
Dorothy Liebes's personal four-harness counterbalance treadle loom, "Ram's Head", 1947. Castle style loom with carved ram's heads on each castle upright, and stylized ram horn carving on the base. Custom made for Dorothy Liebes in about 1947.
Description
Dorothy Liebes's personal four-harness counterbalance treadle loom, "Ram's Head", 1947. Castle style loom with carved ram's heads on each castle upright, and stylized ram horn carving on the base. Custom made for Dorothy Liebes in about 1947. Thought to be made of black walnut and other woods. The carver of the designs was Eugene Ivanoff.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1947
ID Number
TE.T16889.000
catalog number
T16889.000
accession number
307517
date made
1942-45
ID Number
TE.T09465
accession number
172295
catalog number
T09465
William Skinner and Sons Nylon twill: "Combat cloth" fabric sample; 1946; in bronze (brown).Fine, smooth, slightly stiff, close fabric. 100% nylon, twill weave to the right.
Description
William Skinner and Sons Nylon twill: "Combat cloth" fabric sample; 1946; in bronze (brown).
Fine, smooth, slightly stiff, close fabric. 100% nylon, twill weave to the right. Used for soles of electrically headed shoes, casualty blankets, coating purposes for government development, football pants, and basketball uniforms. See T09 669.000 (Football pants) for application of fabric. Commercially known as Combat Cloth, a trademark of Skinner. Bronze color. Large piece (14.5 x 21.5 inches) cut out of the corner for a sample.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
ID Number
TE.T09672.000
accession number
172805
catalog number
T09672.000
S. Slater and Sons nylon twill Parachute cloth fabric length; 1941.White twill weave fabric length with some brown marks and spotting throughout. This Nylon cloth was specifically made for parachutes in World War II. Manufacturer's notes: Style 10340 Ex.
Description
S. Slater and Sons nylon twill Parachute cloth fabric length; 1941.
White twill weave fabric length with some brown marks and spotting throughout. This Nylon cloth was specifically made for parachutes in World War II. Manufacturer's notes: Style 10340 Ex. 2, 38" reed, counting 143 x 104; warp 37/13 nylon 8 T, filling 56/20 nylon 3 T. Woven by S. Slater and Sons. One edge is pinked, and the other is torn and not straight.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1941
maker
Slater, Samuel
S. Slater & Sons
ID Number
TE.T08523.000
catalog number
T08523.000
date made
1942-1945
ID Number
TE.T09575
accession number
172665
date made
1942-1945
ID Number
TE.T09574
accession number
172665
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
ID Number
TE.T09675.000
accession number
172805
catalog number
T09675.000
Wool back rayon satin fabric length; William Skinner and Sons; 1946.Strong, soft, close fabric having viscose rayon face and napped woolback. Moth resistant. Trademark Skinner Sunbak. Used for reversible robes, linings of women's and men's topcoats and jackets. U. S.
Description
Wool back rayon satin fabric length; William Skinner and Sons; 1946.
Strong, soft, close fabric having viscose rayon face and napped woolback. Moth resistant. Trademark Skinner Sunbak. Used for reversible robes, linings of women's and men's topcoats and jackets. U. S. Army Olive drab Shade S-1. Yarn sizes - warp 100/40 viscose rayon, weft 2 picks 150/40, 2 picks 1/26 worsted. Fiber content by weight is 65% rayon 35% wool.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
ID Number
TE.T09678.000
accession number
172805
catalog number
T09678.000
William Skinner and Sons Nylon Twill: "Combat Cloth" Irish green fabric length 1946.Fine, smooth, slightly stiff, close fabric. Used for soles of electrically heated shoes, casualty blankets, coating purposes for government development, footballpants,and basketball uniforms.
Description
William Skinner and Sons Nylon Twill: "Combat Cloth" Irish green fabric length 1946.
Fine, smooth, slightly stiff, close fabric. Used for soles of electrically heated shoes, casualty blankets, coating purposes for government development, footballpants,and basketball uniforms. See T09669.000 (football pants) for application of fabric in different color. Commercially called Combat Cloth. Color Irish Green. 3/1 twill weave to the right. Yarn sizes - warp is 70/34/7, weft is 210/34/1. 100% nylon.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
ID Number
TE.T09671.000
accession number
172805
catalog number
T09671.000
B-17 Chin Turret Machine Gun Slot Cover with zipper; Skinner'sTackle Twill and Crown zipper; 1944. Machine Gun Bendix Turret Slot Installation Using Crown Size 10 Fastener; William Skinner and Sons (Holyoke, MA) Tackle Twill fabric and felt; 1944.
Description
B-17 Chin Turret Machine Gun Slot Cover with zipper; Skinner'sTackle Twill and Crown zipper; 1944. Machine Gun Bendix Turret Slot Installation Using Crown Size 10 Fastener; William Skinner and Sons (Holyoke, MA) Tackle Twill fabric and felt; 1944. Army green viscose rayon Tackle Twill and felt; This is a length of fabric with a double-action extra heavy zip fastener stitched down the center, from which protrudes a metal tube through which a machine gun barrel would be able to move up and down in the chin turret slots on the later version of the B-17, with the cover providing some extra streamlining. Golden brass 0.5 inch grommets on edges throughout pressed through felt. Metal zipper. Trademark Tackle Twill by William Skinner and Sons. Triple stitched double acting zipper. Photo of slot cover in use included in accession folder.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1944
maker
William Skinner and Sons
ID Number
TE.T09100.000
catalog number
T09100.000
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
ID Number
TE.T09668.000
accession number
172805
catalog number
T09668.000

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.