Educational poster for Cheney Brothers; Sepia toned photograph of the Cheney Silk complex. Landscape orientation; with caption and plain borders. The mills of Cheney Brothers Manufacturers, South Manchester, CT.
Skein of white (bleached) silk hosiery tram. A type of thrown silk usually used in manufacturing (machine knitting) silk hosiery (stockings).
One of 66 examples of silk yarns of various types, dyed in the skein.. Original sample # 27. 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.,
Stern & Pohly Silk Faille Ribbon Length, 1914. Ribbon (narrow fabric) length: "Warp printed Faille". Silk warp and filling. Woven on Knowles Dobby loom. Variegated floral/leaf design in the center, with plain rose border. Considered by the manufacturer as "adaptable for sashes, girdles and hat trimmings."
Skein of dyed artificial silk (regenerated cellulose fiber, known after 1923 as rayon), in "Cardinal" red. One of 66 examples of silk yarns of various types, dyed in the skein.. Original sample # 52. This is a very early example of the availability of artificial silk fiber on a commercial basis. At this time the fiber's extreme shine and smoothness made it useful only as an accent to natural fiber fabrics - it was not used on its own. 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.,
Length of Cheney Brothers lightweight figured "Broche Silk", 1913. A lightweight, drapey plain weave silk fabric with warp-float patterned neoclassical laurel wreath design in half drop repat. Satin figures on plain weave ground. Piece dyed green. (W. 30-1/2 in., L. 54 in.) Used either for a furnishing or apparel silk.
Cheney Brothers "Kioto" Dress or Furnishing Silk, 1915. A light weight plain weave, frisson (spun silk fabric) with coarse silk filling. Printed with a Persian and Indian inspired design with garden-like fruit and cypress tree elements, paired birds, peacocks, architectural elements, in island layout in blue, green, pink, tan on black ground. (W. 30 in., L. 36 in.)
Skein of white Tussah or wild silk. Bleached. Mfrs' tag reads: "Tussah or Wild silk." Wild silk is from cocoons that the silk moth has emerged from - the silk filament is no longer unbroken; it is therefore processed differently than cultivated, unbroken silk filament. One of 66 examples of silk yarns of various types, dyed in the skein.. Original sample # 41. 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.,
Length of Cheney Brothers jacquard-woven, figured furnishing silk, 1913. The pattern is a simplified version of an 18th c. floral ogee medallion design in a compound weave, with matte pale green flowers on a finely striped (faux strie), satin weave green ground. (W. 50 in., L. 36 in.) Mfrs. #s: Com. 4564; No 77953; Color 3486/1.
Skein of dyed silk schappe yarn for weaving, in purple. Mfrs' tag 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 # 63 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.
Sample length of a Cheney Brothers "Colonial Prints" Frisons dress silk, 1913. Lightweight plain weave made with irregular slubbed spun silk warp and weft yarns. Printed allover floral design with a diagonal meander repeat. Ecru ground, blue and orange flowers with green and yellow leaves and stems. (W. 31 in., L. 36 in.) A page from a Cheney Brothers sample book having two small swatches of this fabric in 2 additional colorways (pinks and oranges; yellows and light purples) is filed in the study swatches. The page is labelled "Colonial Prints" 32 inch.
Skein of dyed silk schappe yarn for weaving, in navy blue. Mfrs' tag 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 # 64. 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.
One skein of thrown silk: Three thread Japan tram in the raw. Tram yarn was used for weft or filling in woven goods and for knitting. Part of a donation of 63 samples representing the processes of silk skein-dyeing, and silk piece-dyeing and printing, given by the National Silk Dyeing Co of Paterson, New Jersey, in 1915. National Silk Dyeing Co., headquartered at 140 Market St., Paterson, NJ was formed from five silk dyeing firms in Peterson, NJ (Auger & Simon Silk Dyeing Company; Emil Geering Silk Dyeing Co., Knipscher & Maas Silk Dyeing Company, Kearns Brothers, and Gaede Silk Dyeing Co.) and a fifth company from Allentown, Pa. (Lotte Brothers under the leadership of Charles I. Auger. National Silk Dyeing immediately became one of the large silk dyeing conglomerates in the nation. It operated into the Great Depression but was eventually broken up and sold off.
A length of Cheney Brothers printed "Princess Satin" dress silk, 1915. Lightweight, drapey satin-weave silk fabric, printed with Japanese-inspired modernist design featuring striped white and pink, orange, green, gray flower heads and sprays and black and white arcs on a purple ground. (W. 30 in., L. 36 in.) The diagonally striped flower heads are suggestive of Japanese textile printing techniques.
Skein of Cheney Brothers dyed silk yarn, 1913. Red. 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
Skein of Raw Silk, Japan, Cheney Brothers, 1913. White. 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
Oriental Silk Printing Co.'s "Russian" printed dress silk, 1916. A lightweight plain weave silk similar to HR Mallinson's Pussy Willow taffeta trademark; Design titled "Russian" printed with small x's and squares on a white ground to imitate Cross Stitch embroidery. This sample with 8-pointed stars and small diamonds, in purple, green, red, and black on white.
The Oriental Silk Printing Company also produced a trade magazine from 1922 to 1927 called The Master Silk Printer. It was self-promotional but also served as a vehicle within the fashion industry for providing information related to silk apparel for women. The Paterson-Haledon area of New Jersey was the main center of the silk textile manufacturing industry in the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and this was where the company was situated. Most of these factories had showrooms in New York City in what is still known as ‘The Garment District,’ and many advertised through this trade publication. Companies selling other fashion industry goods such as dyes, machinery, chemicals, ribbon, and related products also advertised here. Oriental Silk Printing Company was in business from the early 1900s to the mid 1930s, at which point their mills moved from New Jersey to the South.
"Chasseurs" is a design from the first H.R. Mallinson La Victoire series, designed just before the Armistice to end World War I was signed in Fall, 1918. This example was printed on Mallinson's trademarked "Indestructible Crepe." The term “Chasseurs à cheval” designated elite units of the French cavalry – “chasseurs” meaning hunters, “à cheval,” on horseback. During World War I, dangerous reconnaissance missions were often given to the Chasseurs. The wide stripe design depicts standing figures and figures on horseback (the elite reconnaissance units of the French army) who appear poised for action among trees and shrubs, with a stream winding through. See TE*T04082 for the same design on a different ground cloth (Mallinson's Pussy Willow) and in a different colorway (5 colors on a dark blue ground).
A length of "Vagabond Crepe" dress silk, from H.R. Mallinson & Co.'s "Playgrounds of the World" series of printed silks. This sample is an allover printed design, "French Riviera", a landscape design with large reserves, and scenes of palm trees, sailboats, beach-goers, and buildings. Colors are black, canary yellow, tan, brown, blue, orange and cream on a ground of grey. "Vagabond" crepe is a Mallinson tradename for a crepe twist fabric woven with doupioni silk in the weft or filling. Selvage inscription - Mallinson's Silks Deluxe Playgrounds of the World French Riviera. The series dates to 1928 and included both European and American "playgrounds". NMAH holds samples of each design in the series..