Textiles

Coverlet

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.

Date: 1930s

Elizabeth Orme's Sampler

Large cornucopia of flowers and leaves above verse, with geometric carnation border. Flowers include morning glory, moss rose, sweet peas, and lily. Brown guidelines under cornucopia and flowers. Maker's age and date written in ink, probably added later.
Description
Large cornucopia of flowers and leaves above verse, with geometric carnation border. Flowers include morning glory, moss rose, sweet peas, and lily. Brown guidelines under cornucopia and flowers. Maker's age and date written in ink, probably added later. Silk embroidery thread on linen ground. STITCHES: Cross, crosslet, herringbone. THREAD COUNT: warp 30, weft 28/in.
Inscription:
"The star of Bethlehem
Brighter than the rising day
When the sun of glory shines;
Brighter than the diamond's ray
Sparkling in Golonda's [sic] mines
Beaming through the clouds of wo
Smiles in Mercy's diadem
On the guilty world below
The Star that rose in Bethlehem
Elizabeth Orme
Novr 9th"
written in ink after the inscription is "1833 Age 9"
Background:
Elizabeth was born about 1825 to Sarah and Thomas Orme in Washington, D.C. She married James Hizer on September 6, 1854, but by the 1860 census, she was widowed and living with her mother and sister Anna, who was also a widow. Elizabeth died in 1892 of tuberculosis. See her mother's (Sarah Kurtz) sampler. Anna's daughter Mary donated her grandmother's and aunt's samplers.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1833
associated dates
1933 06 22
maker
Orme, Elizabeth
ID Number
TE.T07319
accession number
124663
catalog number
T07319

William Skinner and Sons silk slipper satin fabric length; 1932.

William Skinner and Sons slipper satin, silk face, cotton back fabric length; 1932. Heavy, close, lustrous, smooth surface warp face, satin weave fabric for women's shoes which are dyed to match the colors of the wearers'gowns. Cotton back and Silk warp face.
Description
William Skinner and Sons slipper satin, silk face, cotton back fabric length; 1932. Heavy, close, lustrous, smooth surface warp face, satin weave fabric for women's shoes which are dyed to match the colors of the wearers'gowns. Cotton back and Silk warp face. Piece dyed white currently, would have been dyed to be used for shoes to match a gown. Selvedge has "Skinner's" woven in the same color as fabric. Small punctures and round imprints surrounding the puctures seen throughout fabric.
William Skinner, a prominent silk manufacturer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, moved his family and business to Holyoke, MA in 1874. At the time his family consisted of 2 daughters from his first marriage to Nancy Warner, Eleanor Skinner, and Nancy Skinner; along with his second wife Sarah Elizabeth Allen Skinner, and their children, Elizabeth Allen Skinner, William Cobbett Skinner, Joseph Allen Skinner, Ruth Isabelle (Belle) Skinner and Katharine Skinner. With an unlimited source of power and inexpensive immigrant labor available in Holyoke, the silk production and textile manufacturing business grew and profits increased. William Skinner remained at the head of the firm until his death in 1902 when control was turned over to his two sons William C. and Joseph. In 1961 the Skinner family sold the business, with all their trademarks and patents, to Indian Head Mills. The William Skinner & Sons silk and satin mills were earning sales revenues in the millions of dollars and employing over 1,000 people at the time of William Skinner’s death in 1902. As manufacturer of “Skinner’s Satins” he came to be widely known, and his own success was extended philanthropically to Holyoke and its people. The family maintained a residence in Holyoke at their home, Wistariahurst, for eighty years. The Skinners donated the property to the city of Holyoke in 1959. [From the Wistariahurst web site.]
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1932
ID Number
TE.T06931.000
accession number
117978
catalog number
T06931.000

William Skinner and Sons satin silk face cotton back amber fabric length; 1934.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1934
maker
William Skinner and Sons
ID Number
TE.T07594.000
catalog number
T07594.000
accession number
127991

William Skinner and Sons "Tackle Twill" olive drab fabric length; 1941

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

1891 - 1933 Trinity Lutheran Church Parlor Throw

In 1891 members of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Findlay, Ohio, created the blocks for this parlor throw to raise money for their newly organized church. Each person was to get ten names at ten cents each for the 25 blocks, for a total of $25.00. Rev. H. C.
Description
In 1891 members of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Findlay, Ohio, created the blocks for this parlor throw to raise money for their newly organized church. Each person was to get ten names at ten cents each for the 25 blocks, for a total of $25.00. Rev. H. C. Stuckenberg was the pastor in charge at the time. When he left a few years later in 1893, the blocks were given to him and his wife, Bertha. It was not until after his retirement in 1929, and just before his death in 1933, that he and his wife settled on the arrangement of the blocks. It was then that she put the squares on a black ground and finished the project.
Rev. Harry C. Stuckenberg was born August 29, 1853 and died October 27, 1933.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1891-1933
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T13464
accession number
254849
catalog number
T13464

"Washington Floral" dress silk, Mallinson's George Washington Bicentennial print series

A length of printed pure dye silk crepe. Soft lustrous plain weave fabric. Pattern "Washington Floral": one of the H.R. Mallinson & Co. George Washington Bicentennial print series.
Description
A length of printed pure dye silk crepe. Soft lustrous plain weave fabric. Pattern "Washington Floral": one of the H.R. Mallinson & Co. George Washington Bicentennial print series. According to company publicity at the time the line was introduced, this allover tossed design of tiny flowers and rosebud clusters was inspired by a motif in an old brocade worn by Mrs. James Duane at the Washington Inaugural Ball.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1932
maker
H R Mallinson and Company, Incorporated
ID Number
TE.T06956
accession number
118355
catalog number
T06956.000

1920 - 1930 Bertha Bork's Pieced Comfort

Bertha Bork made this pieced and tied comfort for her grand-daughter, Betty Jane Meggers. She machine pieced 25 blocks in a variation of the “Pride of Holland” pattern for the quilt top. It is wool-filled and tied with multi-colored wool yarns.
Description
Bertha Bork made this pieced and tied comfort for her grand-daughter, Betty Jane Meggers. She machine pieced 25 blocks in a variation of the “Pride of Holland” pattern for the quilt top. It is wool-filled and tied with multi-colored wool yarns. A colorful cotton paisley lining adds to this bright and lively tied quilt or comfort.
Bertha Bork was born in Pomerania, Germany in 1866. She married John Meggers and emigrated about 1872 to Clintonville, Wisconsin. They farmed and raised two children, William Frederick and Clara. William (1888-1966) was a well-known physicist. The quilt was made for his daughter, Betty (1921-2012), who was a noted archeologist.
Bertha divorced in 1910 and married Peter Monty. She died in 1941 and is buried in Graceland Cemetery, Clintonville, Wisconsin.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1920-1930
maker
Bork, Bertha
ID Number
TE.T17157
catalog number
T17157.000
accession number
314637

U.S. Army World War II textile sample, cotton

date made
1942-45
ID Number
TE.T09465
accession number
172295
catalog number
T09465

William Skinner and Sons bronze nylon twill "Combat cloth" sample; 1946

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

William Skinner and Sons red silk crepe fabric length; 1932.

William Skinner and Sons silk plain weave crepe red fabric length; 1932. Harsh, lustrous, reversible, plain weave fabric made with yarn having a crepe twist, similar to crepe-de-chine, but heavier in texture. Unweighted. Known commerically as Canton Crepe. Piece dyed poppy red.
Description
William Skinner and Sons silk plain weave crepe red fabric length; 1932. Harsh, lustrous, reversible, plain weave fabric made with yarn having a crepe twist, similar to crepe-de-chine, but heavier in texture. Unweighted. Known commerically as Canton Crepe. Piece dyed poppy red. The selvedge has "Skinner's" woven into it in the same color as the fabric.
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
1932
ID Number
TE.T06928.000
accession number
117978
catalog number
T06928.000

S. Slater and Sons nylon twill Parachute cloth length; 1941.

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

U.S. Navy cotton print cloth sample; World War II

date made
1942-1945
ID Number
TE.T09575
accession number
172665

U.S. Navy cotton sheeting sample (khaki); World War II

date made
1942-1945
ID Number
TE.T09574
accession number
172665

William Skinner and Sons silk moire black fabric length; 1932.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1932
ID Number
TE.T06936.000
accession number
117978
catalog number
T06936.000

William Skinner and Sons silk georgette aqua blue fabric length; 1932.

William Skinner and Sons silk georgette aqua blue fabric length; 1932. Thin, sheer, silk fabric, dull in texture with a "crepy" effect due to the right and left twist filling yarn.
Description
William Skinner and Sons silk georgette aqua blue fabric length; 1932. Thin, sheer, silk fabric, dull in texture with a "crepy" effect due to the right and left twist filling yarn. The warp is of finer crepe yarn arranged in pairs--spaced one end apart to give a shadow-like effect in the plain weave structure. Unweighted. Piece dyed aqua blue. Selvedge edges says "Skinner's" woven in the same color as the fabric. Construction: 120 ends -- 3 threads 13/15 crepe 2 right -2 left - 70 turns; 120 picks-3 thread 13/15 crepe 2 right-2 left - 70 turns. 47 inches in reed and 39 inches finished.
William Skinner, a prominent silk manufacturer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, moved his family and business to Holyoke, MA in 1874. At the time his family consisted of 2 daughters from his first marriage to Nancy Warner, Eleanor Skinner, and Nancy Skinner; along with his second wife Sarah Elizabeth Allen Skinner, and their children, Elizabeth Allen Skinner, William Cobbett Skinner, Joseph Allen Skinner, Ruth Isabelle (Belle) Skinner and Katharine Skinner. With an unlimited source of power and inexpensive immigrant labor available in Holyoke, the silk production and textile manufacturing business grew and profits increased. William Skinner remained at the head of the firm until his death in 1902 when control was turned over to his two sons William C. and Joseph. In 1961 the Skinner family sold the business, with all their trademarks and patents, to Indian Head Mills. The William Skinner & Sons silk and satin mills were earning sales revenues in the millions of dollars and employing over 1,000 people at the time of William Skinner’s death in 1902. As manufacturer of “Skinner’s Satins” he came to be widely known, and his own success was extended philanthropically to Holyoke and its people. The family maintained a residence in Holyoke at their home, Wistariahurst, for eighty years. The Skinners donated the property to the city of Holyoke in 1959. [From the Wistariahurst web site.]
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1932
ID Number
TE.T06930.000
accession number
117978
catalog number
T06930.000

William Skinner and Sons silk satin face cotton back black fabric length; 1932.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1932
ID Number
TE.T06932.000
accession number
117978
catalog number
T06932.000

William Skinner and Sons silk satin overcoat lining black fabric length; 1932.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1932
ID Number
TE.T06940
accession number
117978
catalog number
T06940.000

William Skinner and Sons silk moire white fabric length; 1932.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1932
ID Number
TE.T06935.000
accession number
117978
catalog number
T06935.000

William Skinner and Sons silk serge overcoat lining brown fabric length; 1932.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1932
ID Number
TE.T06939.000
accession number
117978
catalog number
T06939.000

William Skinner and Sons Nylon Twill: "Combat Cloth" Irish green fabric length 1946.

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

William Skinner and Sons "Foundation Satin" silk corset double face peach fabric length; 1932.

William Skinner and Sons "Foundation Satin" silk corset double face peach fabric length; 1932. Stiff, heavy, close, lustrous, double face, satin weave fabric made of all silk yarns. Piece dyed peach. Selvedge says "Skinner's" in same color, only on one edge of the fabric.
Description
William Skinner and Sons "Foundation Satin" silk corset double face peach fabric length; 1932. Stiff, heavy, close, lustrous, double face, satin weave fabric made of all silk yarns. Piece dyed peach. Selvedge says "Skinner's" in same color, only on one edge of the fabric. Commercially known as "Foundation Satin" and used for corsetry.
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
1932
ID Number
TE.T06942
accession number
117978
catalog number
T06942.000

B-17 Chin Turret Machine Gun Slot Cover with zipper; Skinner'sTackle Twill and Crown zipper; 1944

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

William Skinner and Sons"Combat Cloth" nylon twill olive drab fabric length; 1946.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1946
ID Number
TE.T09668.000
accession number
172805
catalog number
T09668.000

William Skinner and Sons blue silk crepe fabric length; 1932.

William Skinner and Sons blue silk crepe plain weave fabric length; 1932. Soft, lustrous, reversible, plain weave fabric in a finely crinkled effect produced with silk crepe yarn, similar to crepe-de-chine. Piece dyed Nassau blue.
Description
William Skinner and Sons blue silk crepe plain weave fabric length; 1932. Soft, lustrous, reversible, plain weave fabric in a finely crinkled effect produced with silk crepe yarn, similar to crepe-de-chine. Piece dyed Nassau blue. The selvedge reads "Skinner's" in the same color as the fabric. Unweighted.
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
1932
ID Number
TE.T06927.000
accession number
117978
catalog number
T06927.000

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