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: 1910s

Cheney Brothers Wash Silk, 1913

Length of Cheney Brothers wash silk. Lightweight plain weave with warp stripes. Yarn dyed. Narrow blue stripes (in warp only) on white ground; white weft. (W. 32 in., L.
Description (Brief)
Length of Cheney Brothers wash silk. Lightweight plain weave with warp stripes. Yarn dyed. Narrow blue stripes (in warp only) on white ground; white weft. (W. 32 in., L. 1-1/2 yd.) A page from a Cheney Silks sales sample book, in the DOT study sample files, shows four additional colorways.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1913
maker
Cheney Brothers
ID Number
TE.T00038
catalog number
T00038.000
accession number
55080

Javanese silk batik table cover, 1915

Javanese batik silk table cover, 1915. A 36" square with a symmetrical design of Garuda wings, plant motifs, serpents, with imitation fringe borders on all four sides. Designed and made for export, to the Western market. Tan, light and dark blue.
Description
Javanese batik silk table cover, 1915. A 36" square with a symmetrical design of Garuda wings, plant motifs, serpents, with imitation fringe borders on all four sides. Designed and made for export, to the Western market. Tan, light and dark blue. One of 22 finished batik textiles, together with 14 process samples, made by prisoners in Java for exhibition at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. Purchased by the US National Museum for the Division of Textiles from the Netherlands East Indies Commission at the close of the Exposition. Motif described as "Oeloh Nogo". Price given as 35 F, or $14.00.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914-1915
ID Number
TE.T02930.000
catalog number
T02930.000
accession number
59191

Bobbin Lace Sample Made in China

This sample of handmade torchon bobbin lace edging has motifs with spiders, tallies, Spanish fans, and half stitch trails. It was made at the Amoy Lace Guild in China and sold for twenty-five cents per yard in US gold in 1913.
Description
This sample of handmade torchon bobbin lace edging has motifs with spiders, tallies, Spanish fans, and half stitch trails. It was made at the Amoy Lace Guild in China and sold for twenty-five cents per yard in US gold in 1913. The Amoy Lace Guild was established by missionaries in 1885 as a charitable organization to provide a source of income to indigent Chinese women and children. Patterns and linen thread was imported from England and Ireland. Lace from the Amoy Lace Guild won a silver medal at the St. Louis exposition in 1904.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1905-1912
1900-1912
maker
Amoy Lace Guild
ID Number
TE.T00930
catalog number
T00930.000
accession number
55643

Chinese Made Torchon Bobbin Lace Sample

This sample of handmade torchon bobbin lace has motifs with Spanish fans, diamond shapes, and spiders. It was made at the Amoy Lace Guild in China and sold for twenty cents per yard in US gold in 1913.
Description
This sample of handmade torchon bobbin lace has motifs with Spanish fans, diamond shapes, and spiders. It was made at the Amoy Lace Guild in China and sold for twenty cents per yard in US gold in 1913. The Amoy Lace Guild was established by missionaries in 1885 as a charitable organization to provide a source of income to indigent Chinese women and children. Patterns and linen thread was imported from England and Ireland. Lace from the Amoy Lace Guild won a silver medal at the St. Louis exposition in 1904.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1905-1912
1900-1912
maker
Amoy Lace Guild
ID Number
TE.T00914
catalog number
T00914.000
accession number
55643

Javanese batik sarong or wrapper, 1915

Batik sarong or wrapper in brown, red, and blue. Central field has patterning of multi-patterned blocks made up of four triangles. Narrow side borders, Kepala with tumpal (opposed elongated triangles) design flanked by floral borders. 83" L x 42" W.
Description
Batik sarong or wrapper in brown, red, and blue. Central field has patterning of multi-patterned blocks made up of four triangles. Narrow side borders, Kepala with tumpal (opposed elongated triangles) design flanked by floral borders. 83" L x 42" W. One of 22 finished batik textiles, together with 14 process samples, made by prisoners in Java for exhibition at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. Purchased by the US National Museum for the Division of Textiles from the Netherlands East Indies Commission at the close of the Exposition. Original cataloging identifies the design as "Aambal kanoman" and gives the price at the fair as 30 F. or $12.00.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914-1915
ID Number
TE.T02923.000
catalog number
T02923.000
accession number
59191

Javanese batik tea cosy for the western market, 1915.

Javanese batik tea cosy for the western market, 1915. A cotton rectangle with two mirror image trapezoidal panels, long edges toward the center. Meant to be cut out and stitched with a lining into a western style tea cosy. Design of scrolls and plant forms.
Description
Javanese batik tea cosy for the western market, 1915. A cotton rectangle with two mirror image trapezoidal panels, long edges toward the center. Meant to be cut out and stitched with a lining into a western style tea cosy. Design of scrolls and plant forms. Dark blue border, to be cut away in the making, surrounds the trapezoids. One of 22 finished batik textiles, together with 14 process samples, made by prisoners in Java for exhibition at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. Purchased by the US National Museum for the Division of Textiles from the Netherlands East Indies Commission at the close of the Exposition. An example of the use of traditional Javanese technique and patterning for a form meant for the European or Western trade.Approx. 14" x 19". Original cataloging identifies the design as "Pisang bali." in brown and indigo; Price listed as 4 F. or $1.60
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914-1915
ID Number
TE.T02937.000
catalog number
T02937.000
accession number
59191

Skein of Japan tram silk, in the raw; National Silk Dyeing Co., 1915

One skein of thrown silk: eight thread Japan tram in the raw. Part of a donation of 63 samples representing the processes of silk skein-dyeing, and silk piece-dyeing and printing, given by the National Silk Dyeing Co of Paterson, New Jersey, in 1915.
Description
One skein of thrown silk: eight thread Japan tram in the raw. Part of a donation of 63 samples representing the processes of silk skein-dyeing, and silk piece-dyeing and printing, given by the National Silk Dyeing Co of Paterson, New Jersey, in 1915. National Silk Dyeing Co., headquartered at 140 Market St., Paterson, NJ was formed from five silk dyeing firms in Peterson, NJ (Auger & Simon Silk Dyeing Company; Emil Geering Silk Dyeing Co., Knipscher & Maas Silk Dyeing Company, Kearns Brothers, and Gaede Silk Dyeing Co.) and a fifth company from Allentown, Pa. (Lotte Brothers under the leadership of Charles I. Auger. National Silk Dyeing immediately became one of the large silk dyeing conglomerates in the nation. It operated into the Great Depression but was eventually broken up and sold off.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1915
maker
National Silk Dyeing Co.
ID Number
TE.T02796.000
catalog number
T02796.000
collector/donor number
17
accession number
58940
catalog number
T2796

Cheney Brothers Silk "Grisaille", 1913

Length of Cheney Brothers all silk 'Grisaille' apparel fabric. A balanced plain weave with slightly irregular weft. Yarn dyed, with white warp and black weft giving a changeable gray surface effect with a medium sheen. (W. 32 in., L. 1-1/2 yd.).
Description (Brief)
Length of Cheney Brothers all silk 'Grisaille' apparel fabric. A balanced plain weave with slightly irregular weft. Yarn dyed, with white warp and black weft giving a changeable gray surface effect with a medium sheen. (W. 32 in., L. 1-1/2 yd.). Similar color effect to another Cheney piece, titled Bengal Pongee, but without the warp strie and in a slightly heavier weight.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1913
maker
Cheney Brothers
ID Number
TE.T00034
catalog number
T00034.000
accession number
55080

Cheney Brothers "armure silk" upholstery fabric, 1916

Length of a silk warp, cotton weft, Cheney Brothers "armure silk" furnishing fabric, 1916.
Description
Length of a silk warp, cotton weft, Cheney Brothers "armure silk" furnishing fabric, 1916. Medium green ribbed ground weave with warp float patterning of Neo-Classical style: Alternating motifs, one with ribbon, bow, and wreath design and one with oval frames holding torch and bow linked by leaf and floral swags and ribbon garlands. Slide repeat. 35" L x 50" W. Stamped on one crosswise end, "Cheney Silks". Coordinating objects from this donation are: T-2842, design for Armure silk; and T-2843, point paper drafts for armure silk.
Original cataloging: Upholstery fabric armure silk. A tapestry weave silk warp and cotton weft. Allover conventional pattern formed by a satin float figure. Color: green. Width: 50".
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1916
maker
Cheney Brothers
ID Number
TE.T02844.000
catalog number
T02844.000
accession number
59368

Skein of Thrown Silk Organzine, Italian, Cheney Brothers, 1913

Skein of thrown silk organzine, Italian, Cheney Brothers, 1913 Organzine. Thrown silk. Italian. Yellow. 1 skein. Part of gift illustrating all the steps in making silk textiles at the Cheney Brothers mill in South Manchester, CT. Sales offices: 4th Ave.
Description (Brief)
Skein of thrown silk organzine, Italian, Cheney Brothers, 1913 Organzine. Thrown silk. Italian. Yellow. 1 skein. Part of gift illustrating all the steps in making silk textiles at the Cheney Brothers mill in South Manchester, CT. Sales offices: 4th Ave. and 18th St., New York City
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1913
maker
Cheney Brothers
ID Number
TE.T00116.000
catalog number
T00116.000
accession number
55080
catalog number
T116

Amoy Lace Guild Bobbin Lace Sample

This sample of handmade torchon style bobbin lace insertion has roseground, leaves arranged as spokes, and half stitch trails. It was made at the Amoy Lace Guild in China and sold for thirty cents per yard in US gold in 1913.
Description
This sample of handmade torchon style bobbin lace insertion has roseground, leaves arranged as spokes, and half stitch trails. It was made at the Amoy Lace Guild in China and sold for thirty cents per yard in US gold in 1913. The Amoy Lace Guild was established by missionaries in 1885 as a charitable organization to provide a source of income to indigent Chinese women and children. Patterns and linen thread was imported from England and Ireland. Lace from the Amoy Lace Guild won a silver medal at the St. Louis exposition in 1904.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1905-1912
1900-1912
maker
Amoy Lace Guild
ID Number
TE.T00941
catalog number
T00941.000
accession number
55643

1900 - 1915 Amish "Garden of Eden" Quilt

Quilted in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania in the early twentieth century, this is an example of the “Garden of Eden” or “Economy Block” quilt pattern. A center of twenty pieced and plain 20-inch square blocks is framed by a “Chain Square” and two plain borders.
Description
Quilted in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania in the early twentieth century, this is an example of the “Garden of Eden” or “Economy Block” quilt pattern. A center of twenty pieced and plain 20-inch square blocks is framed by a “Chain Square” and two plain borders. Plain-colored cotton and wool fabrics and black quilting thread contribute to its quiet elegance.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1900-1915
quilter
unknown
ID Number
1985.0029.01
catalog number
1985.0029.01
accession number
1985.0029

Bayeux Tapestry Motifs Needle Lace Runner

This needle lace table runner illustrates scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry. Scenes before, during and after the Battle of Hastings, England, in 1066 between Harold and William the Conqueror are depicted along the sides and ends of this nine meter long cloth.
Description
This needle lace table runner illustrates scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry. Scenes before, during and after the Battle of Hastings, England, in 1066 between Harold and William the Conqueror are depicted along the sides and ends of this nine meter long cloth. It might have been commissioned for the banquet table in one of the numerous grand mansions built in the USA early in the 1900’s. The Melville and Ziffer lace workshop in Le Puy, France, exhibited an almost identical table runner at the 1906 Paris World Exhibition.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1900-1910
designer
Melville & Ziffer
maker
Melville & Ziffer
ID Number
1985.0162.01
accession number
1985.0162
catalog number
1985.0162.01

A H Straus & Co 'Luxor Taffeta' dress silk, Peruvian design; 1917.

A H Straus 'Luxor Taffeta" dress silk plum ground fabric length; 1917. Luxor taffeta. A lustrous reversible fabric with a discharge printed design copied from a woven fabric of ancient Peru.
Description
A H Straus 'Luxor Taffeta" dress silk plum ground fabric length; 1917. Luxor taffeta. A lustrous reversible fabric with a discharge printed design copied from a woven fabric of ancient Peru. Original cataloging also says "Character of design resembling Etruscan ornaments" meaning a running fret design, but this design uses the two color running fretwork in vertical bands resembling Ancient Peruvian tunics. Colors are yellow and black on a plum ground. Yellow and black stripes each 0.875 inches wide create a pattern of alternating single and triple stripes parallel to the selvedge edge. Some uneven blotches of faded dye throughout.
A. H. Straus and Co. was active in the 1910s and 1920s. The company was based in New York City and was a premier importer and manufacturer of printed silks. Many fabric lengths in this collection have prints copied from ancient textiles.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1917
ID Number
TE.T02556.000
accession number
61633
catalog number
T02556.000

Province of West Flanders Motif

The coat-of-arms of the Belgian province of West Flanders is depicted on this Mechlin bobbin lace piece. It was made by Belgian lace makers during World War I and was most likely intended to be inserted into a larger item. See a similar motif in TE*E383965.Currently not on view
Description
The coat-of-arms of the Belgian province of West Flanders is depicted on this Mechlin bobbin lace piece. It was made by Belgian lace makers during World War I and was most likely intended to be inserted into a larger item. See a similar motif in TE*E383965.
Location
Currently not on view
made during
1914-1918
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T16115G
catalog number
T16115G
accession number
297965

Fan Leaf with Weaponry and Designer's Name

This fan leaf was designed for the Belgian Lace Committee by Belgian painter Charles Michel. His name is worked in needle lace into the ground (reseau) along the inner edge.
Description
This fan leaf was designed for the Belgian Lace Committee by Belgian painter Charles Michel. His name is worked in needle lace into the ground (reseau) along the inner edge. The central motif of helmet, swords and weaponry is flanked on either side by the war years 1914 and 1915. The rising sun, laurel leaves and other floral motifs are also included. Brussels bobbin lace was mainly used for the motifs and connected with Point de Gaze type needle lace. Belgian lace makers made this fan leaf during World War I. It has never been mounted to fan sticks.
Location
Currently not on view
made during
1915-1916
part of design
1914
1915
maker
unknown
designer
Michel, Charles
ID Number
TE.T14505
catalog number
T14505
accession number
273245

Sample of Mohair roving, 30 dram, Massachusetts Mohair Plush Company, 1914

Sample of Mohair roving, 30 dram, Massachusetts Mohair Plush Company, 1914. One bobbin. A step in the manufacture of mohair yarn from combed fiber.
Description
Sample of Mohair roving, 30 dram, Massachusetts Mohair Plush Company, 1914. One bobbin. A step in the manufacture of mohair yarn from combed fiber. Given by Massachusetts Mohair Plush Company, headquartered in Boston with a mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1914, along with samples of mohair fiber in various stages of processing, and samples of the company's finished textiles.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914
maker
Massachusetts Mohair Plush Company
ID Number
TE.T02092.000
catalog number
T02092.000
T2092
accession number
57533

Province of Luxembourg Motif

This lion-and-crown motif was designed to represent the coat-of-arms of the Belgian province of Luxembourg. The Mechlin bobbin lace medallion was made by Belgian lace makers during World War I, and was likely intended to be inserted into a larger item.
Description
This lion-and-crown motif was designed to represent the coat-of-arms of the Belgian province of Luxembourg. The Mechlin bobbin lace medallion was made by Belgian lace makers during World War I, and was likely intended to be inserted into a larger item. See a similar motif in TE*E383965.
Location
Currently not on view
made during
1914-1918
maker
unknown
ID Number
TE.T16115H
catalog number
T16115H
accession number
297965

"Dove of Peace" dress silk, Mallinson's La Victoire series II

The peace treaty negotiations between Germany and the Allied powers exposed discord among the Allies. US President Wilson took a less punitive stance than the governments of Britain and France.
Description
The peace treaty negotiations between Germany and the Allied powers exposed discord among the Allies. US President Wilson took a less punitive stance than the governments of Britain and France. With its symbolic doves and olive branches, this design from the second series of La Victoire printed dress silks by H.R. Mallinson & Co., Inc. suggests a sympathy with Wilson’s war aims. The design was machine-printed on Mallinson's semi-sheer trademarked "Indestructible Crepe." A very thin pure dye crepe, similar to "Georgette". with dove of peace and olive branch design in blue and white on a dark ground.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
maker
H. R. Mallinson & Co. Inc.
ID Number
TE.T04078
accession number
63204
catalog number
T04078.000
T4078

"Scouts" dress silk, Mallinson's La Victoire series I

The first H.R. Mallinson & Co. La Victoire series, designed just before the Armistice to end World War I in Fall, 1918, comprised 6 designs. The first series of La Victoire prints celebrated different aspects of the French military forces.
Description
The first H.R. Mallinson & Co. La Victoire series, designed just before the Armistice to end World War I in Fall, 1918, comprised 6 designs. The first series of La Victoire prints celebrated different aspects of the French military forces. The "Scouts" design is "a clever stripe design in which the French poilu is featured on a scouting expedition." (description taken from a Mallinson marketing booklet). Infantry scouts often operated alone, ahead of their units, trying to find out the size and placement of the opposing forces. In this striped design, the seated and standing figures of the scouts appear to melt into the trees. The design is machine-printed on a lightweight semi-sheer silk crepe that the Mallinson firm trademarked as "Indestructible Crepe."
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
maker
H. R. Mallinson & Co. Inc.
ID Number
TE.T04076
accession number
63204
catalog number
T04076.000
T4076

Sample of Mohair Top fiber, Massachusetts Mohair Plush Company, 1914

Sample of Mohair Top fiber, Massachusetts Mohair Plush Company, 1914. "Top" is the product of the combing machine, ready for spinning into yarn, separated from the "noils", or shorter strands.
Description
Sample of Mohair Top fiber, Massachusetts Mohair Plush Company, 1914. "Top" is the product of the combing machine, ready for spinning into yarn, separated from the "noils", or shorter strands. Given by Massachusetts Mohair Plush Company, headquartered in Boston with a mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1914, along with samples of mohair fiber in various stages of processing, and samples of the company's finished textiles.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1914
maker
Massachusetts Mohair Plush Company
ID Number
TE.T02088.000
catalog number
T02088.000
T2088
accession number
57533

Variation 4, "Bolling Crest" series, Sussex Print Works, 1915

Sussex Print Works, 1915. Silk dress goods printed in black on white with a variation (S-226) of an "ant and swallow" design derived from the Bolling family crest in England, to honor the marriage of President Woodrow Wilson and Edith Bolling Galt in December 1915.
Description
Sussex Print Works, 1915. Silk dress goods printed in black on white with a variation (S-226) of an "ant and swallow" design derived from the Bolling family crest in England, to honor the marriage of President Woodrow Wilson and Edith Bolling Galt in December 1915. This variation has a thin black check on a white ground, with scattered larger squares, white squares containing black ants and black squares containing white birds. The use of strict black and white reflects the fact that color dyes were scarce due to the blockade of Germany by British ships during WWI. German firms were the primary holders of dye and colorant patents, , and the blockade created a critical shortage of dyestuffs in the still-neutral United States in 1915-1916. When the US entered the war in 1917, on the British side, the German dye patents were seized and turned over to American manufacturers.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1915
referenced
Wilson, Edith Bolling Galt
maker
Sussex Print Works
ID Number
TE.T02961
accession number
59282
catalog number
T02961.000

"Winged Victory" dress silk, Mallinson's La Victoire series II

Displayed at the top of a staircase in the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1884, the Greek statue called “The Winged Victory of Samothrace” depicts the goddess Nike, or Victory.
Description
Displayed at the top of a staircase in the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1884, the Greek statue called “The Winged Victory of Samothrace” depicts the goddess Nike, or Victory. The statue’s symbolism served as the basis for this design of stripes containing "Winged Victory" motifs, printed in 4 colors on a tan ground of the manufacturer’s popular "Pussy Willow" fabrication. It is one of the second series of La Victoire prints, produced by H.R. Mallinson & Co. in conjunction with the Peace Conference that followed the signing of the Armistice ending the fighting in World War I.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1918
maker
H. R. Mallinson & Co. Inc.
ID Number
TE.T04086
accession number
63204
catalog number
T04086.000
T4086

Stewart Silk Co "Chinese crepe" fabric length; 1914

Stewart Silk Co "Chinese crepe" fabric length; 1914. Navy blue with white long marks possibly from sun damage or folding. Plain weave, crepe finish.John Wood Stewart was born in 1856 in New York City.
Description
Stewart Silk Co "Chinese crepe" fabric length; 1914. Navy blue with white long marks possibly from sun damage or folding. Plain weave, crepe finish.
John Wood Stewart was born in 1856 in New York City. In 1897 he became a stockholder and New York representative with the Phillipsburg Silk Mill Company. He then acquired the stock, and opened a larger facility in South Easton with a new mill and the addition of the Eastern Throwing Company, a throwing mill. The Perfect Dyeing and Finishing Company was also shortly added, and these three eventually incorporated to create the Stewart Silk Company. John Stewart died in 1922. Commercial Factors Company purchased the Stewart Silk Mills property in 1930.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1914
maker
Stewart Silk Company
ID Number
TE.T01302.000
accession number
56748
catalog number
T01302.000

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