William Skinner and Sons wool back rayon satin Sunbak khaki fabric length, 1946.
Strong, soft close fabric with rayon face & napped wool back. Is moth resistant. Used for reversible robes, and linings of women's and men's topcoats and jackets. 41" selvedge width and 36" length. U.S. Army khaki in shade P. Fabric content by weight is 65% rayon 35% wool.
A length of printed rayon pile, silk ground transparent velvet fabric: Mallinson's "Orchid Tissue Velvet": Sheer plain weave silk ground with double-woven rayon pile.. Discharge printed in an allover, dense floral effect, of aster heads in greens on a white ground. The mfr # for the fabric is #832; the mfr # for the design is #2689. Transparent velvet was introduced in the 1920s as a marketing name for solid cut pile on a sheer ground, usually a rayon pile and silk ground, giving the fabric a very soft hand.. The manufacturer's description of the process is: "The fabric is piece-dyed for discharge (meaning with a special dye) in a ground color, and the pile made to lie in one direction. The fabric is then run through the printing machine where the pattern is printed on the pile surface, which is afterward erected and finished. With the colors put on in the printing process is mixed a discharge chemical which removes or bleaches the ground color where it is not wanted in the pattern."
H.R. Mallinson & Co., Inc. was known in the silk industry for innovation in both design and technology.
A length of printed rayon pile, silk ground transparent velvet fabric: Mallinson's "Orchid Tissue Velvet"; the vibrant design an allover discharge print of poppies and bleeding hearts in red, pink with green leaves and stems on a white ground. Sheer, almost transparent, plain weave ground with double-woven pile fabric with silk base, rayon pile. The mfr # for the fabric is #832; the mfr # for the design is #2085. Transparent velvet was introduced in the 1920s as a marketing name for solid cut pile on a sheer ground, usually a rayon pile and silk ground, giving the fabric a very soft hand.. The manufacturer's description of the process is: "The fabric is piece-dyed for discharge (meaning with a special dye) in a ground color, and the pile made to lie in one direction. The fabric is then run through the printing machine where the pattern is printed on the pile surface, which is afterward erected and finished. With the colors put on in the printing process is mixed a discharge chemical which removes or bleaches the ground color where it is not wanted in the pattern."
This Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet was woven for Sally Loper in Westbury, Long Island, New York in 1817. This is the oldest known dated Figured and Fancy coverlet. The centerfield design is composed of rows of pine trees and tulips. The borders found on all four sides were created from directional fractional reductions of the centerfield motifs. The name of the owner Sally Loper, and the date, December 2, 1817, are woven into the upper right hand corner. The place, Westbury, Long Island, is also woven opposite the name. The coverlet measures 88.5 inches by 81 inches and was constructed from two panels woven as one length, cut, and seamed up the middle. Sarah (Sally) Bishop Loper (b. 1780) was married to Luther Loper (b. 1780). The coverlet passed to their daughter, Elmirah Jane Loper Pine, her daughter, Edna Pine Dunning, and finally to her daughter, the donor, Jane Dunning Dirks.
Imprisoned weavers at Auburn State Prison loom house wove this Jacquard, double-cloth coverlet with an ornate carpet medallion centerfield and floral borders in Auburn, Cayuga County, New York in 1838. The coverlet also features the dated floral cornerblocks associated with the prison’s other attributed coverlets. Being double-cloth, the coverlet is composed of two sets of warp and weft. The red and blue wool yarns are S-spun singles and the natural cotton yarns are 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun. The coverlet measures eighty-eight by sixty-four inches and features a center seam.
Not much work has been done on prison weaving in the 19th century. Ralph S. Herre wrote a dissertation while at Penn State University entitled, "The History of Auburn Prison from the Beginning to about 1867." He confirmed that the prison did have a carpet weaving shop, sold to local customers, and even attempted to cultivate and manufacture silks. In American Coverlets and Their Weavers (2002), Clarita Anderson included an entry for a coverlet which had a family history of being from Auburn State Prison and dated 1835. Anderson pointed out that of the four confirmed Auburn State coverlets she had encountered most are Biederwand structure, not double weave. She attributed the coverlets to New York weaver, James Van Ness (1811-1872).
The two Auburn State Prison coverlets in the NMAH collection have a similar corner block organization but different motifs, suggesting the possibility that the individual(s) designing the point papers and cutting the cards for these coverlets were the same person, maybe even Van Ness. More research is needed to confirm Anderson's attribution. It could be, and likely was the case, that the prisoners were trained in coverlet and ingrain carpet weaving by a master weaver, perhaps even Van Ness. At the very least, ornate Fancy weave jacquard card sets were purchased by the prison with the express purpose of producing fancy weave coverlets for general consumption. Prisoners at Auburn State were organized in what became known as the Auburn- or Congregate-Style. Prisoners spent most of their time in isolation in their cells. They were released for work hours, six days a week. They walked silently to work, worked in silence, and lived in silence. This coverlet is a fascinating material glimpse into the culture and economics of prisons in the 19th century.
This Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet was woven from two sets of wool and cotton warps and wefts in 1839 in Western New York. The coverlet measures eighty-two inches by seventy-six inches and is made up of two sections seamed in the center. There is fringe on three sides. The side and bottom borders feature confronted, eagles from The Great Seal of the United States and willow trees. Between the eagles and willow appears a stylized tulip flanked by two small peacocks. The centerfield is composed of floral medallions in the "Double Lily" of “Lilies of France” pattern combined with eight-pointed starbursts. This centerfield design is reflective of medallion patterns commonly found on carpets and of the fact that these weavers wove not only coverlets but also ingrain carpets. It is believed that the coverlet was commissioned either by or for the donor's great-great grandmother Mary Cooke, and family legend holds that she may have spun the wool yarns for this coverlet. Her name and the date 1839 appear in the lower cornerblocks. Although there are several Mary Cooks in Erie County near Spadina, NY in the 1840 census, it is likely that the Mary Cook named on the coverlet is Mary Graves Cook (1792-1871). A genealogical link to the donor has not yet been able to be established and more research is required to definitively link the donor with this particular Mary Cook. Clarita Anderson's American Coverlets and Their Weavers lists no as-of-yet identified weavers associated with Erie County, NY, however there are several in neighboring counties. More research into the recorded occupations of the county's residents is required to help narrow down and hopefully identify a maker. The border pattern is nearly identical to those used by coverlet weaver and loom patent holder, Jonathan Conger ((1801-1867) of Chemung and Tompkins Counties, New York. The “Eagle and Willow” border and “Lilies of France” centerfields were incredibly common patterns, so a Conger attribution may be premature at this time.
Harry Tyler (1801-1858) wove this red and white, Figured and Fancy, double-cloth coverlet for Cynthia Walker in Oswego County, New York in 1845. The centerfield design features a double floral and starburst design with a “Fence and Tree” border along three sides. . The lower corners feature an American eagle with a shield, and twenty-three stars, a known Harry Tyler trademark. The name of the client, Cynthia Walker, the place, Oswego Co., N.Y., and the date 1845, are woven beneath the eagle and shield trademark. Cynthia Walker was the donor’s paternal grandmother. This coverlet measures 84 inches by 82.5 inches and was constructed of two panels woven as one length, cut, and sewn together with a center seam.
Tyler was born in Connecticut, moving to New York sometime around 1834. Harry Tyler married three times to Anne Cole, Harriet A. Dye, and Mary A. Tyler. His son with Anne, Elman Tyler (1829-1909) was also a coverlet weaver and wove coverlets in the same pattern as his father even after Harry’s death in 1858. The details of Harry Tyler’s life are a bit of a mystery. There are over 300 coverlets attributed to Tyler, but very little documentary evidence of his business activity or life. The Jefferson County Historical Society is fortunate to have over 40 Harry Tyler coverlets in its collection. They also included this information about the death of Harry Tyler, which has evaded scholars for decades. Harry Tyler died August 22,1858 at the age of 57 after suffering a stroke and is buried in Smithville Cemetery, Jefferson County, New York.
This blue and white, overshot coverlet was woven in a simplified version of the “Orange Peel” pattern. The two-paneled coverlet measures ninety-four inches in length by seventy-two inches wide. The plain weave ground cloth is made up of natural or unbleached linen or cotton warp and weft yarn and the supplementary pattern weft is a 2-ply wool yarn. There is some staining and slight discoloration, but overall this coverlet is in fairly good condition. Because the donor collected this coverlet from and unknown sources, the date and maker of this blue and white, cotton and wool, overshot coverlet is unknown. The coverlet was probably made between 1790 and 1825 and could possibly be from New York. The weaver of this early coverlet would also likely have been a woman or group of women who would pool equipment and skill sets to produce domestic goods for themselves and their neighbors. Since this coverlet dates from the early 19th century, it is quite likely that some or even all of the yarns used were homespun. Professional weavers switched to machine-spun cotton as soon as it was available, but hand-spun wool continued in use in coverlets in the early 19th century.
A length of the "Pueblo" design dress silk; Mallinson's 1928 American Indian series, with small samples of 8 additional colorways attached with a Mallinson tag at the upper right. The manufacturer's number for this fabric quality (Pussy Willow) is #5459. Pussy Willow was a long time Mallinson trade name for an unweighted, pure dye plain weave silk with a soft hand.. At the time it was popular it was considered similar to a generic fabric type called "radium". The large sample in this group is in blue, brown, orange, yellow, green, black and white on a taupe-gray ground. The Pueblo tribe design is a tossed, spaced layout with motifs inspired by Pueblo ceremonial masks and musical instruments.. The other colorway samples are printed on ground colors of: white; tan; green; navy blue, red; and black.
Mallinson's American Indian series followed the "National Parks" and "Wonder Caves of America" designs, and illustrates the company's continuing interest in using American themes, and in utilizing the collections of New York area museums for research and inspiration.
A length of the "Cheyenne" design dress silk; Mallinson's American Indian series, with small samples of 7 additional colorways of this design attached with a Mallinson tag at the upper right corner. The manufacturer's number for this fabric quality (Pussy Willow) is #5459. Pussy Willow was a long time Mallinson trade name for an unweighted, pure dye plain weave silk with a soft hand.. At the time it was popular it was considered similar to a generic fabric type called "radium". This is a large sample with small colorway samples attached. The Cheyenne design is essentially a horizontal stripe, with a color block effect; based on beadwork fringes and bands. The large sample has a green ground with orange, red, black, white, and blue. The small samples are printed on grounds of the following colors: gray, orange, red, tan, blue, and black.
Mallinson's American Indian series followed the "National Parks" and "Wonder Caves of America" designs, and illustrates the company's continuing interest in using American themes, and in utilizing the collections of New York area museums for research and inspiration.
A sample length of Cheney Brothers printed faille tie silk, 1925. A lightweight warp-faced plain weave ribbed silk, in dark blue, with a printed design of diagonal bands made up of multicolor dots in a speckled effect: bands alternate predominatly white with predominantly red. The other print colors are light blue, yellow, green, and gray. Lighter weight faille than TE*T05145 from the same manufacturer. (W. 24 in., L. 36 in.) Pattern #257. Com.#5113.
In the 20th century, women’s hobbies included embroidery techniques such as needlepoint and crewel.
This very large and impressive embroidered wall hanging depicts “The Legend of Czar Saltan.” The czar sits in an elaborately decorated wooden chair. He wears a jeweled crown on his silvery hair, and his long flowing silvery beard covers a part of an elaborately embroidered robe. This scene is on a balcony overlooking a walled village with onion-domed buildings, some with crosses on top, a lake with an island, and mountains beyond. Across the top of the picture are clouds, and the initials “e b r 1951-53" are embroidered near the right lower corner. The ground is linen twill and the threads are silk floss, wool, and metallic. The stitches are split, satin, long and short, outline, stem, laid and couched, wrapped loop, brick, seed, closed fly, French knots, chain, buttonhole, and herringbone. Glass and plastic jewels are also used.
LEGEND OF CZAR SALTAN
The legend is a well-known Russian fairy tale, and is the same story on which Pushkin based a dramatic poem used in turn by Rimsky-Korsakov for his Le Coq d'Or Suite. (The Golden Cockerel Suite.) In some versions, Czar Saltan is called King Dodon, but in all accounts he was given the Golden Cockerel by his Royal Astrologer. The Czar set the cockerel up in the palace as a weather vane. When danger approached, the cockerel warned the Czar by crowing. Apparently the cockerel does give advance warning of impending danger on several occasions, and eventually the Astrologer claims his payment. Some versions of the legend say that the Czar's wife was promised to the Astrologer, while others say that it was his daughter. In any case, the Czar refused to make good on his promise and when the astrologer demanded his fee, the Czar struck him with his scepter and killed him. At this point, the Golden Cockerel flew down from his perch and pierced the Czar's skull with his beak, killing him.
The wall hanging was worked on a roller embroidery frame built by Cornelius Van S. Roosevelt, son of Eleanor and Theodore Roosevelt II. Cornelius drew the design on the linen in 1937. It took Mrs. Roosevelt many years to assemble all the materials and she didn't begin working on it until 1951. It was during the long interval between 1937 and 1951 that R. H. Macy & Co., in New York, helped run tests on the various metallic threads to see if they would tarnish. Over a period of many years, Mrs. Roosevelt determined which wools and silks were color fast, and these she used to stitch this piece and a companion one.
Eleanor Butler Alexander was born on December 26, 1888, to Henry and Grace Green Alexander in New York city. She married Theodore Roosevelt II (1887-1944) on 20 June 1910, and they had four children: Grace, Theodore III, Cornelius V. S. and Quentin. She died on May 29, 1960, at Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York.
Cheney Brothers gift of a lot of yellow silkworm cocoons. Part of gift illustrating all the steps in making silk textiles at the Cheney Brothers mill in South Manchester, CT. Some housed in a glass jar with stopper, additional cocoons now housed in a plastic bag.
A length of the "Arapaho" design dress silk; Mallinson's American Indian series, with small samples of 6 additional colorways of this design attached with a Mallinson tag at the upper right corner. The manufacturer's number for this fabric quality (Pussy Willow) is #5459. Pussy Willow was a long time Mallinson trade name for an unweighted, pure dye plain weave silk with a soft hand.. At the time it was popular it was considered similar to a generic fabric type called "radium". This is a large sample with small colorway samples attached. Large sample is Colorway #9. The design is the Arapaho tribe design from the American Indian series; an irregular, curving vertical stripe layout of beadwork strips and feathers. The large sample colorway has a light blue ground with patterning in dark blue, blue-green, orange, red-brown, yellow, black, and white.
Mallinson's American Indian series followed the "National Parks" and "Wonder Caves of America" designs, and illustrates the company's continuing interest in using American themes, and in utilizing the collections of New York area museums for research and inspiration.
Jessy Anderson made this white quilted and stuffed-work counterpane in New York, probably completing it in 1835. The free-form overall design incorporates eagles, cornucopias, flowers, leaves, fruits, and other motifs popular at the time. Acorn, oak leaves and thistles are repeated in the quilting in several places.
The center panel, 43 x 39 inches, contains a basket of flowers surrounded by branching coral with a different spray of flowers in each corner. With a thin inner layer of cotton it is closely quilted at sixteen stitches per inch. A 24-inch border surrounds the center panel. It does not have an inner layer of cotton, but is quilted at 18 stitches per inch.
Two eagle motifs are centered in the top and bottom borders. One eagle is perched on an arch that is inscribed in quilting “E Pluribus Unum.” The other eagle holds arrows and an olive branch under a ribbon also inscribed in quilting, “Pluribus Unum.” A cornucopia in the left border holds a “lemon,” the family term, on which is embroidered in backstitch “Jefsy Anderson New York 1835.”
For seven generations the quilt was handed down to the first-born daughter before its donation to the Smithsonian in 1981. The donor remarked that “I am unable to give it the kind of preservative care it needs and deserves . . . . I am also anxious to share this remarkable piece of artistry with as many people as would be interested in it.” While it had been in the family for over 140 years, the decision was made by the donors that “the highest honor we could give to our talented ancestor would be to place the quilt in a museum for many to enjoy.” Jessy Anderson’s quilt documents the expression of skills and art that many women displayed with their needlework.
Jessie was born April 3, 1812 in Scotland. She married January 17, 1840, Robert Dougal Thompson (1812-1889) in Albany, NY. They had six children and she died April 18, 1870 in Cambridge, WI.
James Alexander (1770-1870) wove this blue and white, Figured and Fancy, double cloth coverlet for Eleanor Van Etten in Orange County, New York in 1824. The white warp and weft yarns are 2-ply, S-twist, Z-spun cotton while the blue yarns are 2-ply, s-twist, and Z-spun wool. In the binding, the yarn is a z-spun cotton single of and there is a secondary yarn which appears to be 2-ply s-twist z-spun cotton. The centerfield is composed of large “Double Tulip” carpet medallions and foliate designs. The lengthwise border is composed of depictions of Independence Hall flanked by eagles and surmounted by stars and floral springs. The crosswise border is made of Masonic columns flanked by eagles. The repeat unit for the Centerfield measures 27 inches by 26 inches. The border is 7.25 inches wide on all four sides. The repeat unit for the crosswise border is 7.25 inches by 29 inches, while the repeat for the lengthwise borders is 27.75 inches x 7.25 inches. The coverlet is composed of two 38 " wide lengths which were woven as one length, cut, and hand sewn together. The coverlet measures 96.5 inches by 76 inches. There is woven inscription in each corner which reads, “Eleanor Van Etten Oct. 14 1824." This coverlet has descended through the Swartwout family of New York for generations before coming to the Smithsonian.
William Skinner and Sons wool back rayon ribbed poplin fabric length; 1946. Strong, soft flexible fabric with face of fine warp threads confining separated groups of filling threads so as to form a series of ribs across the width of the fabric with heavily napped back. Yarn sizes - warp 100/40 viscose rayon, weft 2 picks 300 denier viscose rayon, 2 picks 1/26 worsted. Fiber content by weight is 70% rayon 30% wool. Scarlet colored. Used for B-9 helmet for Army-Air Force and lining for jackets, coats and military capes.
William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
William Skinner and Sons Silk "Vrille" satin-face, twill-back fabric length; 1932. White. Commercially known as "Vrille"; Soft, semi-lustrous, crepe-like corkscrew seave, having a slightly irregular warp face satin surface and twill back, produced with double yarns of different size. The spun silk filling is coarser than the filature silk warp. Used for women's shoes which are dyed afterwards to match the warers' gowns. Selvedge says "Skinner's" in the same color as the fabric. Fabric is white and piece dyed.
William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
A length of printed pure dye silk crepe. Soft lustrous plain weave fabric. Pattern "Starry Stripes", one of the H.R. Mallinson & Co. George Washington Bicentenniel print series. Overall pattern of iny white stars on a blue ground in a lengthwise stripe layout.