Length of a Cheney Brothers Jacquard-woven silk upholstery fabric. A Jacquard figured, two-color, satin damask fabric with figure and ground of contrasting faces of the satin weave. Organizine warp and tram silk weft. Pattern is a Louis XVI period reproduction featuring a large scale conventionalized pattern with central motif of urns with roses, flanked and supported by foliate scrolls, birds, flowers, floral and pearl garlands and swags, and bowknots. Pearl-colored figure on rose ground. Wholesaled for $15 per yd. (W. 50 in., L. 36 in.)
These furnishing silks were, along with the patterned velvets, represent the most expensive and exclusive textiles that Cheney Brothers produced.
A sample length of Cheney Brothers printed faille tie silk, 1925. A medium-weight warp-faced plain weave ribbed silk fabric in blue, with a printed plaid design in light blue, red, and yellow, imitating a woven plaid. The plaid is printed with a diagonal orientation so that ties cut on the bias would show the plaid as straight. Com.# 7442. Printed pattern #1. 36" L x 24.5" W
Cheney Brothers textile design point paper. This is the weave draft of the design for a satin damask upholstery fabric with a Louis XVI style pattern, in rose, T2841. The donation also includes the original painted textile design for this fabric (T2839) and a sample of the finished cloth. This draft has been had painted on the gridded textile design paper for guiding the punching of the jacquard cards and threading the loom.
Original cataloging: draft of design #2839, the enlarged and finished draft painted on textile design paper for fabric #2841
One length and a sample cut of a Cheney Brothers silk & metal thread evening dress fabric, 1925. Jacquard woven, figured fabric #15511, made with silk warp; silk and tinsel (metal thread) filling (wefts). Origin of tinsel Jacquard design #7461/2509/4: Old Chinese armour pattern, overprinted with Chinese vine and frame design in red, blue, green yellow, etc. Wholesale $10.50 per yard. A- (W. 32 in., L. 8 in.); B- (W. 40 in., L. 168 in.)
Cheney Brothers furnishing fabric, 1900-ca.1950. Selvage width sample of upholstery fabric woven with orange and green stripes. The green stripes are decorated with woven floral designs, 2 selvedges present, 2 edges finished with overcast stitching. Cheney Brothers CB logo is embroidered on one finished edge. (W. 52 in., L. 25 7/8)
Original colored design for fabric #T2834 showing 4 color variations. 5 specimens. 9.5" x 12.5" Design for a printed Florentine silk. In addition to the silk sample and original design, this set includes the enlarged design for the pantograph plates and the zinc plates, T2832 and T2833.
Original colored dark blue, dark green, pink and orange floral design for a printed Florentine silk. The design stapled and partially adhered to sheet of paper below, which is stapled to another, similar, piece of paper below that. "For printing on 32" cloth January 27/14" written in pencil on the top of the lowermost sheet of paper, near the left corner. "#1176" written in pencil near the top of the lowermost sheet of paper. Written on the pencil on bottom of the middle sheet of paper appears to be a color list: "1- Black 2- Brown 3- Blue 7- Stone 4- Pink 5- [undecipherable] 8- Olive 6- Blotch". "T" written in pencil on the top left corner of the verso above a stamped "2831"in black ink. Another "2831" stamped in black ink below that. "#3833" among other pencil writings near the top left corner of the verso.
The design has irregular rectangular blocks of 'craquelure' effect in the background, with floral motifs on long stems with spearlike leaves, and fringed petalls - iris-like?
Cheney Brothers furnishing silk, 1900-ca.1950. Selvage width length of upholstery fabric; cream colored background with scattered woven-in sprays and sprigs of red and blue flowers with green leaves and stems tied with red ribbons. The Cheney symbol is woven in in gold along selvage edge. (W. 40.5 in., L. 49 in.)
Length of Cheney Brothers "Broche Pongee" dress silk, 1913. Broken twill weave with textured diagonal lozenge effect. All silk. Yarn dyed, white warp, Tan (light brown) weft. Color name: Champagne. Cheney silks retail label attached to sample with glue or adhesive (W. 36 in., L. 1-1/2 yd.)
Length of Cheney Brothers "Venetian Velvet" furnishing fabric, 1913. Solid cut pile velvet. Silk pile warp, cotton ground warp and weft. Company describes it as a "Reproduction of an antique Venetian velvet". The tan ground shows slightly through the green pile, which has been pressed flat. Construction; pile weave, cut velvet. Yarns: warp – tan, weft – tan, pile – green. (36" L x 50" W)
A sample length of Cheney Brothers Moire Tie Silk, 1925. Com # 7399.. Soft, very fine, weft-ribbed fabric, moired (pattern impressed with a heated roller) to create columns of polka dots. Piece dyed grey.
A length of Cheney Brothers printed "Cinderella Silk", "Floral Sport" design, 1917. A lightweight fabric with a crepey finish. Design No. 65398, "Floral Sport." Color No. 381/1. Spaced, non-directional floral motifs of two roses with green leaves on a ground of wide blue and black stripes. "Cheney Silks" label stamped in gold on bottom cut edge. (W. 41 in. L. 36 in.) [NB - the photograph has a yellow cast, making it look brown and gray]
Length of a Cheney Brothers silk furnishing velvet. All silk velvet, very supple. Renaissance revival pattern. Wine red. Construction; solid cut pile, pile weave (probably double-woven), varying pile density creates the pattern, dark (dense) against lighter (sparser pile, with the golden yellow ground showing through) red. Yarns: ground warp and weft – tan, pile – dark red. Pattern; Large conventionalized Renaissance revival floral palmette motif with ogee framing, 22 in. L, 3 motifs in width of fabric. (W. 37-1/2 in., L. 36 in.)
Length of a Cheney Brothers jacquard-figured silk 'Frisons', meaning a textured surface from a slubbed weft yarn, 1913. Jacquard-woven repeating design of an ogee grid with stylized tulips in the reserves. Slubbed plain weave "silk frisons" ground with coarse weft float patterning. Inspired by an early 17th c. ogee pattern with tulips. Piece dyed dusty rose (dull medium pink). (W. 32 in., L. 36 in.)
Length of Cheney Brothers "Antique Brocade" furnishing fabric, 1913. . All silk, compound satin weave with continuous supplementary weft patterning (not a true brocade). Colors: Blue, green, and gold. Pattern: Urn and flowers within foliate meander ogee. Reproduction of 17th-18th century'antique' ogee meander design brocade. Pale blue figures on green and brown ground. with strie effect. Yarns: warp – light blue, weft – brown and green. Pattern; Floral jardinière, lengthwise repeat height - 15 in. (W. 50 in., L. 36 in.)
Sample of a Cheney Brothers engineered print silk cushion or pillow top, 1913. Velvet. Silk. Turkish design with Arabic or pseudo-Kufic calligraphy and flowers in gold, red, and grey on green ground. Construction; Yarns: main ground warp, black. Main ground weft, black. Pile: green. Pattern; printed, single medallion “Turkish” (W. 22 in., L. 22 in.)
A length of lightweight satin-weave silk, printed with a design of naively drawn flower sprigs on a red ground dotted with small irregularly drawn circles. Ground cloth is satin weave silk, light but having more body than charmeuse. The stylized modernist floral design has a 'Martine School' effect, with simplified motifs outlined in black, and very bright, Fauve-inspired coloring. Colors are bright green, magenta, yellow, and blue with black on red. T1041 and T1043 are colorways of the same design, titled "Bulgarian" by the manufacturer..
Part of a large donation of fibers, yarns, fabrics, original designs, and printing tools given by Cheney Brothers, one of the earliest and largest of America's silk manufacturers, in 1913.
Cheney Brothers two-color silk damask fabric length. A midweight silk damask for use in upholstery. Empire style pattern featuring wreaths and square rosettes in yellow twill on green satin ground. Residue marks from tape or adhesive are present on the fabric. (W. 50 in., L. 144 in.)
A length of Cheney Brothers jacquard-woven metallic upholstery fabric. Elaborate floral medallion and lace-pattern ogee design, late 17th-early18th century inspired. Upholstery fabric:: silk and metallic thread compound weave; supplementary-weft patterning, Not a true brocade with discontinuous wefts, but an expensive furnishing fabric.. Gold metallic threads create much of the patterning. Elaborate overall pattern in various colors on a tan ground. Large-scale, long repeat. Formal floral medallion surrounded by lace-pattern meanders with additional floral sprays and stylized birds and dogs. Baroque-inspired design. 24" long repeat; two repeats fill the fabric width. One end is soiled. Coordinating objects from this donation: T-2845, design for silk brocade; and T-2846, point paper draft for silk brocade.
Length of Cheney Brothers "Printed Satin Brocade". All-silk. The ground is jacquard woven with a repeating s-curve swirling figure. It is over-printed with a dense ground pattern of light blue lines with a delicate flowering branch design on top of that.. Construction; Compound satin weave, weft float patterning. The ground is a pinkish-beige ("champagne"). Printed design is light blue, with flowers in pink, yellow. brown, green, turquoise blue. Cheney Silks retail label attached with glue or adhesive. (W. 24 in., L. 36 in.) This is not an actual brocade, in the technical meaning of discontinuous weft patterning. It is a jacquard-woven figure, with weft-float patterning against the satin weave ground. This fabric, called "Jouy Broche" by the company, is woven at 24" wide.
Length of Cheney Brothers printed silk satin, 1913. Naturalistically drawn Cosmos flower design; tossed layout. A lightweight silk satin, pigment-printed with a large-scale pattern of cosmos flowers with twining stems in pink, green, yellow, brown, and matte white on a pale yellow ground. Cheney description: "This is a decorative material used for the manufacture of kimonos, sofa cushions, bedspreads, lambrequins, etc." (W. 30 in., L. 36 in.) Color 3547-1; Com.: 4454; Lot 5304. Designed by Sophia Crownfield for Cheney Brothers. A second colorway on a pale blue ground is also in the collection: T00063.