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 "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Bishop", on quality "Ruisselet" a warp-faced weave with much thicker weft yarns than warp yarns, having a crinkled texture.
Description
A "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Bishop", on quality "Ruisselet" a warp-faced weave with much thicker weft yarns than warp yarns, having a crinkled texture. Printed design of scattered stylized scrolls and flowers on a dark blue ground. This example was cylinder printed. Duplan's publicity touts this series of silk dress fabrics as"Woven, printed, and finished in the US, sold and delivered in Paris and London. Designs by the Martine School of Decorative Art, Paris, France. Directed, owned, and personally supervised by Mr. Paul Poiret, who is universally acknowledged as the greatest creator of women's fashions of the present century." In the press these were called "Futurist Flowers", and there were supposedly 8 designs in total that Duplan licensed from Poiret. The NMAH Textiles collection holds six samples, four designs, two designs in two colorways on two different ground cloths.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914
maker
Duplan Silk Corporation
designer
Poiret, Paul
ID Number
TE.T01219
accession number
56671
catalog number
T01219.000
A "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Bishop", on quality "Fleur de Jeunesse" a fine soft taffeta. Printed design of scattered stylized scrolls and flowers in golden brown, bright pink, and light green on an off white ground.
Description
A "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Bishop", on quality "Fleur de Jeunesse" a fine soft taffeta. Printed design of scattered stylized scrolls and flowers in golden brown, bright pink, and light green on an off white ground. This example was cylinder printed. Duplan's publicity touts this series of silk dress fabrics as "Woven, printed, and finished in the US, sold and delivered in Paris and London. Designs by the Martine School of Decorative Art, Paris, France. Directed, owned, and personally supervised by Mr. Paul Poiret, who is universally acknowledged as the greatest creator of women's fashions of the present century." In the press these were called "Futurist Flowers, and there supposedly 8 designs in total that Duplan licensed from Poiret. NMAH Textiles department holds six samples, of four designs, two of the designs in two colorways on two different ground cloths.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914
maker
Duplan Silk Corporation
designer
Poiret, Paul
ID Number
TE.T01222
accession number
56671
catalog number
T01222.000
A "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Pekin", on quality "Crepe Chinois", a lightweight plain weave silk with slubbed weft yarns like a shantung.
Description
A "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Pekin", on quality "Crepe Chinois", a lightweight plain weave silk with slubbed weft yarns like a shantung. Printed design of wide and narrow irregular stripes in brown, blue, olive green, and orange. This example was cylinder printed. Duplan's publicity touts this series of silk dress fabrics as "Woven, printed, and finished in the US, sold and delivered in Paris and London. Designs by the Martine School of Decorative Art, Paris, France. Directed, owned, and personally supervised by Mr. Paul Poiret, who is universally acknowledged as the greatest creator of women's fashions of the present century." In the press these were called "Futurist Flowers", and there were supposedly 8 designs in total that Duplan licensed from Poiret. The NMAH Textiles collection holds six samples, four designs, two designs in two colorways on two different ground cloths.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914
maker
Duplan Silk Corporation
designer
Poiret, Paul
ID Number
TE.T01220
accession number
56671
catalog number
T01220.000
A "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Lizeron", on charmeuse, a lightweight satin weave silk. Printed design of stylized leaves and flowers in green, yellow with off white on a black ground. This example was hand block-printed.
Description
A "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Lizeron", on charmeuse, a lightweight satin weave silk. Printed design of stylized leaves and flowers in green, yellow with off white on a black ground. This example was hand block-printed. Duplan's publicity touts this series of silk dress fabrics as "Woven, printed, and finished in the US, sold and delivered in Paris and London. Designs by the Martine School of Decorative Art, Paris, France. Directed, owned, and personally supervised by Mr. Paul Poiret, who is universally acknowledged as the greatest creator of women's fashions of the present century." In the press these were called "Futurist Flowers", and there were supposedly 8 designs in total that Duplan licensed from Poiret. The NMAH Textiles collection holds six samples, four designs, two designs in two colorways on two different ground cloths. Duplan publicity also says that "Lizeron" was, "so far as we know, the first hand block design ever printed by hand in the United States, on a heavy quality of silks. The yardage possible to produce per day, printed by hand by one man, in a design of the character, is only about 1/20th of what a silk printing machine can produce in the same length of time."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914
maker
Duplan Silk Corporation
designer
Poiret, Paul
ID Number
TE.T01223
accession number
56671
catalog number
T01223.000
A "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Pekin", on charmeuse, a lightweight satin weave silk. Printed design ofwide and narrow irregular stripes in yellow, chartreuse green, blue, brown, and black. This example was cylinder printed.
Description
A "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Pekin", on charmeuse, a lightweight satin weave silk. Printed design ofwide and narrow irregular stripes in yellow, chartreuse green, blue, brown, and black. This example was cylinder printed. Duplan's publicity touts this series of silk dress fabrics as "Woven, printed, and finished in the US, sold and delivered in Paris and London. Designs by the Martine School of Decorative Art, Paris, France. Directed, owned, and personally supervised by Mr. Paul Poiret, who is universally acknowledged as the greatest creator of women's fashions of the present century." In the press these were called "Futurist Flowers", and there were supposedly 8 designs in total that Duplan licensed from Poiret. The NMAH Textiles collection holds six samples, four designs, two designs in two colorways on two different ground cloths.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914
maker
Duplan Silk Corporation
designer
Poiret, Paul
ID Number
TE.T01221
accession number
56671
catalog number
T01221.000
A "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Bouquet", on quality "Ruisselet" a warp-faced weave with much thicker weft yarns than warp yarns, having a crinkled texture.
Description
A "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Bouquet", on quality "Ruisselet" a warp-faced weave with much thicker weft yarns than warp yarns, having a crinkled texture. Printed design of blue and white stripes with overprinted stylized floral bouquet and leaf sprigs in floral in yellow, red/purple, orange, and black. This example was cylinder printed. Duplan's publicity touts this series of silk dress fabrics as"Woven, printed, and finished in the US, sold and delivered in Paris and London. Designs by the Martine School of Decorative Art, Paris, France. Directed, owned, and personally supervised by Mr. Paul Poiret, who is universally acknowledged as the greatest creator of women's fashions of the present century." In the press these were called "Futurist Flowers, and there supposedly 8 designs in total that Duplan licensed from Poiret. The NMAH Textile department holds 6 samples; four designs, two in two different colorways and on different ground cloths.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914
design house
Poiret, Paul
maker
Duplan Silk Corporation
designer
Poiret, Paul
ID Number
TE.T01218
accession number
56671
catalog number
T01218.000

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