Skein of "Ruby" red silk tram. A type of thrown silk usually used for weft yarns. Mfrs' tag reads: "Tram: Used for filling in ribbons and broad silks." [Filling is a synonym for weft.] One of 66 examples of silk yarns of various types, dyed in the skein.. Original sample # 21. From a group of 145 samples of silk fabrics and yarns of various types, weaves, uses, and origins donated in 1913 by the National Silk Dyeing Co., of Paterson, New Jersey (America's "Silk City"), which was one of the largest and most comprehensive silk dyeing and printing firms in the U.S.,
A length of block printed Mallinson trade name "Indestructible" voile. A sheer plain weave silk fabric ornamented with an allover conventionalized flower design (imitating batik work) in American Beauty (bright pink) outlined with white on a purple ground. Batik (a wax-resist dyeing technique, known by that name in Indonesia) was very popular in the US and Europe during the late 1910s and early 1920s. H.R. Mallinson was one of several textile manufacturers to create imitations of the hand-crafted batik characteristics through mechanical means. This textile has a very large repeat and according to the manufacturer was hand block-printed. There is a break in the design on one edge, which may indicate that the length was engineered for a particular use, with this unpatterned section meant for an opening of some kind.
Skein of white (bleached) silk schappe yarn for weaving. Mfrs' tag on another sample reads "Schappe. Used in manufacturing velvets." The term "Schappe" refers to a method of processing waste silk fibers (leftovers from other processes). Schappe was used in the pile yarn for manufacturing of velvets, as it was both less expensive and easily finished as a soft surface. One of 66 examples of silk yarns of various types, dyed in the skein.. Original sample # 57. From a group of 145 samples of silk fabrics and yarns of various types, weaves, uses, and origins donated in 1913 by the National Silk Dyeing Co., of Paterson, New Jersey (America's "Silk City"), which was one of the largest and most comprehensive silk dyeing and printing firms in the U.S.
A length of J.A. Migel, Inc. silk Dress Goods "Moon Glo Satin". Lightweight silk cloth of close texture with a rich glossy surface. Julius A. Migel was a younger brother of Moses Charles Migel, founder of M.C. Migel & Co., Inc, silk manufacturer, renamed H.R. Mallinson & Co., Inc. in 1915. Mallinson, married to Linda Migel, had taken over as the president of M.C. Migel & Co. after his brother-in-law had retired. J.A. Migel was very briefly a partner with H.R. Mallinson, but left the firm in 1915 to form his own, eponymous, silk manufacturing concern. J.A. Migel used many of the marketing tools that his brother and H.R. Mallinson had succeeded with, but his company lasted only a few years.
Stewart Silk Co white crepe de chine fabric length. White color with some light purple splotches. Two staples with paper scraps attached in corner. Pinked cut edges.
John Wood Stewart was born in 1856 in New York City. In 1897 he acquired an interest in the Phillipsburg Silk Mill Company, which he later took over, expanding into South Easton, Pennsylvania, 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. The company's mills were in Pennsylvania, the sales offices in New York City. John Stewart died in 1922. Commercial Factors Company purchased the Stewart Silk Mills in 1930.
A length of Cheney Brothers printed "Sweetbriar" silk. Lightweight, plain weave fabric. Design No. 72273, "Japanese Pine Cone and Peacocks" and Color No. 6063/204. Japanese-inspired 'island' design. Green, red, yellow, and brown long-tailed birds, including phoenix (?) and peacocks, on the ground and perched in purple and black pine trees, with a variety of Japanese flowering plants, on a tan ground. (W. 30 in., L. 36 in.)
Cheney Silks educational poster; “Life stages of cultivated and wild silk moths”. Color illustrations. Poster showing pictures of cultivated and wild silk moths in all stages - moth, larvae, cocoon, Cheney Silks, Cheney Brothers Manufacturers, South Manchester, CT.
Skein of "Cardinal" red organzine. A type of thrown silk; Usually used for warp yarns in fine silk fabrics. Manufacturer tag reads: "Organzine. Used for warp in ribbons and broad silks".
One of 66 examples of silk yarns of various types, dyed in the skein.. Original sample # 11. From a group of 145 samples of silk fabrics and yarns of various types, weaves, uses, and origins donated in 1913 by the National Silk Dyeing Co., of Paterson, New Jersey (America's "Silk City"), which was one of the largest and most comprehensive silk dyeing and printing firms in the U.S.
Skein of dark brown silk hosiery tram. A type of thrown silk used for making (machine knitting) silk hosiery (stockings) . Mfrs' tag reads: "Tram: Used in manufacturing silk hosiery." One of 66 examples of silk yarns of various types, dyed in the skein.. Original sample # 37. From a group of 145 samples of silk fabrics and yarns of various types, weaves, uses, and origins donated in 1913 by the National Silk Dyeing Co., of Paterson, New Jersey (America's "Silk City"), which was one of the largest and most comprehensive silk dyeing and printing firms in the U.S.,
Belding Brothers & Co. Color Card, for "New Process Wash Embroidery Silks" - "Miniature" color card, Belding Bros. & Co. SIlk Manufactures. "Phoenician dyes Fast Colors For Complete Artistic Effects"
Booklet with tan buckram(?) cover and two interior pages of text and two pages of embroidery yarn color samples mounted in paper. Annotated in pencil with color names and other notes. The text refers to the 1897-98 edition of a Belding Bros. publication. This was meant to aid embroiderers in selecting shades for their work, but the silks had to be ordered from retailers - Belding Bros. did not sell to individuals, according to the interior text.
Sample length of a Cheney Brothers "Venetian Velvet" furnishing fabric, 1913. Reproduction of Venetian velvet. Construction; pile weave, solid cut velvet. Yarns: Ground - cotton; Pile - probably artificial silk. Ground warp – tan, ground weft – tan, pile warp – green, very lustrous, no "scroop", suggesting it is artificial silk. Bright green solid cut pile on light brown ground that occasionally shows through in a subtle strie effect in the pile. (W. 52 in., L. 36 in.)
Skein of Raw Tussah Silk, Cheney Brothers, 1913. 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
Painted point papers for jacquard-woven textile design, Cheney Brothers, 1913, on 8 sheets. Painted design on square graphed paper for T-1050, called a "Tapestry" furnishing fabric. Island design with exotic blossoms, sailboats. Blues and yellow-gold. Mfrs. #s: Com.4765; Style 3408. Point papers were used to plot a design out for cutting the cards for Jacquard-loom-woven textiles.
Skein of Cheney Brothers raw Canton silk, 1913. White. 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
Length of Cheney Brothers Silk "Whipcord Suiting", 1913. Medium weight. Silk. Yarn dyed. Narrow white satin weave stripes on a dark blue corded (warp direction ribs) ground. (W. 32 in., L. 1-1/2 yd.) The sample was folded along several vertical creases, accelerating significant shattering along these lines. The shattering suggests this was not a pure-dye but a weighted silk. Cheney Silks retail label attached to sample with glue or adhesive.
Cheney Brothers Educational Poster; American Silk Manufacture. The mills of Cheney Brothers Manufacturers, South Manchester, CT. Shows the processes of the silk manufacture in 6 small photographs with captions. Illustrated: Winding room; Entering Warp; Jacquard; Printing; Weaving - mechanized; Dyeing.
A "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Bishop", on quality "Fleur de Jeunesse" a fine soft taffeta. Printed design of scattered stylized scrolls and flowers in golden brown, bright pink, and light green on an off white ground. This example was cylinder printed. Duplan's publicity touts this series of silk dress fabrics as "Woven, printed, and finished in the US, sold and delivered in Paris and London. Designs by the Martine School of Decorative Art, Paris, France. Directed, owned, and personally supervised by Mr. Paul Poiret, who is universally acknowledged as the greatest creator of women's fashions of the present century." In the press these were called "Futurist Flowers, and there supposedly 8 designs in total that Duplan licensed from Poiret. NMAH Textiles department holds six samples, of four designs, two of the designs in two colorways on two different ground cloths.
Length of a Cheney Brothers bi-color silk satin damask, 1913. All silk organzine yarns; turned satin reversible 2-color damask. A Renaissance revivial pattern: Ogee created by facing peacocks flanking vases with foliage. Grey-brown figures on blue-green ground with pronounced strie effect in the warp, visible in both the warp-faced satin of the ground and the weft-faced weave of the figure. (W. 51 in., L. 36 in.) Suitable for either furnishing or apparel.
Skein of Cheney Brothers sIlk yarn, dyed green. 1 skein. Part of 1913 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
A "Martine" silk by the Duplan Silk Company of Hazleton, PA. This design titled "Bouquet", on quality "Ruisselet" a warp-faced weave with much thicker weft yarns than warp yarns, having a crinkled texture. Printed design of blue and white stripes with overprinted stylized floral bouquet and leaf sprigs in floral in yellow, red/purple, orange, and black. This example was cylinder printed. Duplan's publicity touts this series of silk dress fabrics as"Woven, printed, and finished in the US, sold and delivered in Paris and London. Designs by the Martine School of Decorative Art, Paris, France. Directed, owned, and personally supervised by Mr. Paul Poiret, who is universally acknowledged as the greatest creator of women's fashions of the present century." In the press these were called "Futurist Flowers, and there supposedly 8 designs in total that Duplan licensed from Poiret. The NMAH Textile department holds 6 samples; four designs, two in two different colorways and on different ground cloths.