Cheney Brothers printed satin, "Bulgarian", 1913. Printed on dark blue. 24" W by 72" L. Manufacturer's numbers: Com.2588; Lot M53; Color 2462/9 . A length of lightweight satin-weave silk, printed with a stylized modernist design of of flower heads and leaves in Fauve-inspired colors on a dark blue ground. Ground cloth is satin weave silk, light but having more body than charmeuse. The floral design has a 'stencil' effect, with each element separate from the others and outlined in solid black. T1033,1034,and 1035 are colorways of the same design. 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.
Length of Cheney Brothers wash silk. Lightweight plain weave. Yarn dyed, warp stripes. Blue and grey stripes on white ground. Cheney Silks retail label attached to sample with glue or adhesive (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.
Length of Cheney Brothers medium weight black silk solid cut pile velvet. Silk pile warp and ground warp; cotton ground weft. Red twill weave selvages and red machine hem on one cut edge. (W. 18 in., L. 1 yard.) Possibly a millinery or trimming fabric as it is a narrow fabric off the loom.
Cheney Brothers silk fabric length, called "Bengaline Radiant" due to high sheen finish. Silk. Plain weave, warp-faced, with irregular horizontal ribbing made by alternating picks (filling) of one, two, or three yarns. The ribs also appear to have been pressed flat to increase the surface sheen. High sheen. Piece dyed. Pale Blue.
A length of Cheney Brothers silk "Shikii" drapery or apparel fabric. A plain weave drapery fabric (#94985) with a rough surface made with silk warp and silk frisons weft, creating a rough effect. Piece dyed peacock green (#105) with a dye that is guaranteed as sunfast. Wholsealed for $1.45 per yd. ( 30 in., L. 36 in.)
Cheney Silks educational poster with samples showing the manufacture of spun silk yarns from waste silk attached to card. Cheney Silks, Cheney Brothers Manufacturers, South Manchester, CT.
Original Design for "Bulgarian" printed satin, Cheney Brothers, 1913. Fabrics in NMAH collection, T 1041-1043. Modernist floral, inspired by Fauve coloring and European modernist styling.
A Cheney Brothers changeable taffeta dress silk, 1913. A plain weave fabric with black warp and blue weft, creating a changeable effect. The sample has a fringed end. A detached sample of the blue filling yarn is included with the sample. (W. 24 in., 36 in.) Mfrs. #s: Com. 4837; Color 1.
Cheney Brothers men's tubular woven cravats, in the piece, 1913. Fancy accordion weave, as it came from the loom. Red and black vertical striping with horizontal ribbed multicolor bands at 2" intervals. Three ties in one long piece, originally donated as one length containing three ties, the textile was been cut in two at some time in the past.
Length of Cheney Brothers Warp-Printed Silk Surah, 1913. Lightweight twill weave silk Surah. All-silk. Warp-printed before weaving with wisteria design in purples, greens, beige, grey, brown on a white ground. Steep twill with very defined ridges
Grant silk reel; Cheney Brothers, ca. 1882. Machine for reeling silk, invented by James Munroe Grant, while employed at the Cheney Brothers silk mill in Hartford, CT. The Grant reel wound the silk in a crisscross pattern, rather than in parallel lines or spirals. This reduced snarling and increased efficiency and productivity. The Grant reel was an important innovation for silk manufacturing and was used around the world.
Man's 'de Joinville' style necktie; Gift of Cheney Brothers, Sept. 22 1921. Cotton and Silk; Woven in ribbon form (single layer, straight ends, straight sides). Jacquard figured cotton ground with a fancy blue silk stripe. Washable. Original number 136.
NB: 1920s terminology for men's neckwear was different than late 20th-21st century terminology. Scarf was correct for the period.
From Esquire's Menswear Encyclopedia: "The de Joinville style tie or scarf was strictly a straight-end model." The 1900 Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog described the Joinville as “the most popular and swellest gentleman’s scarf ever produced. These scarfs were 6 inches wide and 34 inches long, and are made from purest woven silk specially imported by us. We have an immense assortment, comprising more than three hundred different designs: all light and medium colorings in nearly every color and shade ever thought of. They consist mostly of combination colors, just a few of which are blue, lavender, light green, cherry, strawberry, olive, myrtle, moss green, turquoise, opal, red, etc., all combined with light contrasting shades of cream, white, bright sun-shiny yellow, pale blue and a host of other beautiful shades; handsome brocade patterns in Persian effects, Oriental effects, Dresden fancies, Chameleon grotesques, Roman novelties, Scotch and Highland checks, and an almost endless variety of artistic and fashionable designs. The De Joinville scarf is popular with fashionable gentlemen, because of its exclusiveness and because it can be tied into several different shapes”. Among the shapes were the Prince of Wales knot and the puff, with a finger ring sometimes slipped just below the knot for added elegance."
Man's silk muffler; Gift of Cheney Brothers; Sept. 22, 1921. Plain accordion weave, woven in tubular form; with 3 weft stripes forming a border on the ends, and finished with fringe. Original number 4747. Colors: black and white.
Length of Cheney Brothers undyed silk pongee. Very lightweight plain weave. Silk. For Piece dyeing. White. Cheney Silks retail tag glued to corner of the sample. (W. 24 in., L. 1-1/2 yd.)
A sample length of Cheney Brothers all-silk dress velvet, "Velours Chiffon" in fuchsia pink. 1925. Short cut pile solid color velvet with a soft, drapy hand.
Enlarged textile design for pantograph plates; Cheney Brothers, 1916. Enlarged version of floral design T2831, used for transferring the designs to the pantograph plates. Design for a printed FLorentine silk, T2834. 6 specimens, Dimesnions listed as 19.5" x 29" and 19" x 26". Set includes the original design T2831, and the pantograph plates, T2833 (6 specimens) used on the pantograph machine to transfer the design to the copper printing roller.
