A length of the "Shoshone" design dress silk; Mallinson's 1928 American Indian series, with small samples of 7 additional colorways attached with a Mallinson tag at the upper right. The manufacturer's number for this fabric quality (Pussy Willow) is #5459. Pussy Willow was a long time Mallinson trade name for an unweighted, pure dye plain weave silk with a soft hand.. At the time it was popular it was considered similar to a generic fabric type called "radium". The large sample in this group is in red, orange, blue, yellow, green and white on a black ground. TheShoshone design is a geometric with overlapping blocks and bands of zigzags, triangles, diamonds, and long rectangles - inspired by Shoshone beadwork.. The other colorway samples include grounds of: white; tan; green; and blue.
Mallinson's American Indian series followed the "National Parks" and "Wonder Caves of America" designs, and illustrates the company's continuing interest in using American themes, and in utilizing the collections of New York area museums for research and inspiration.