Selvage width strip of woven wool flannel apparel fabric, in dark blue. Both selvages intact. Pieces have been cut out along one edge near the middle. Marked on white paper seal glued to fabric: "114/15 (/) 1.14 (/) Roubaix (/) Fr."
Roubaix was a premier weaving center in France; known for its woolens but producing fabrics of many qualities for both the domestic and export markets. This group of selvage width fabric samples was collected by a US Consular officer and sent back to the Dept. of Commerce as an example of the quality of the competition American woolen manufacturers faced in products from Roubaix.
Consular Collection: Part of collection of samples acquired by US Consuls overseas between about 1898 and 1918, in the interests of promoting US trade and business opportunities; which was transferred by the Dept. of Commerce in the 1920s-30s.