Candace Wheeler (1827-1923)

#1 Printed cotton velvet, 1883-1900

#2 Portiere, embroidered, 1884

founded the Society of Decorative Art in NYC (1877) to help poor women earn money to support themselves through the needlecrafts; member of the Associated Artists with Louis Comfort Tiffany, Samuel Colman, and Lockwood de Forest from 1879-1883 during which they worked on very important commissions;invented and patented the "American tapestry", a type of tapestry that was painterly yet distinctive and practical. 

Christopher Dresser, design theorist; leading Aesthetic designer (1834-1904)

roller print, 1898

Britain's first independent industrial designer, contributor to Anglo-Japanese and Aesthetic movements in Britain; during the 1870s many designers drew heavily on the inspiration of Japan, their interest aroused initally by the display of Japanese applied arts at the International Exhibition of 1862 in London. Unlike William Morris, Dresser worked with the industrial system; was originally trained as a botanist and was fascinated with the geometrical qualities of plants and plant growth, approaching pattern design in a quasi-scientific way; in 1859 he published a book called Unity in Variety, as Deduced from the Vegetable Kingdom.

Thomas Wardle

#1 Strawberry Thief, 1883, indigo-discharge, block print

#2 Honeysuckle, 1878

Thomas Wardle was a textile entrepreneur/established chemist/commission dyer who collaborated with William Morris on experiments with natural dyes and printing techniques and their interest in color led them to a joint fascination with the textiles of India.

#1 Strawberry Thief: 2nd chintz phase showing less line drawing and primary colors: for blue the cloth was 'dipped' in deep vats of indigo; then bleach was used on the wooden printing block to obtain the white areas; weak bleach was used for pale blue and yellow was used on top of pale blue to make green.

#2 Honeysuckle: 1st chintz phase; this is one of William Morris's best-loved designs which was printed on to cotton, silk, velveteen and linen.

Memorial sampler

1810

embroidered silk satin; prolly stitched by Mary (Polly), Balch's Academy, American

earliest known mourning sampler from 1780; became popular in 1800 after death of George Washington; almost all were embroidered in silk threads on painted satin but velvet and linen were also popular ground fabrics. Girls completed mourning samplers as their 'final exam' in Dame schools as they demonstrate accomplished needlework; usually shows advanced stitchery like crewel though there is also cross-stitch, materials used were varied - chenilles, metallics, silk, etc. Standard motifs include funerary objects such as tombstones, weeping willows, churches, family members in mourning, an epitaph with the name and dates of the deceased loved one.

Harriet Powers

pictorial quilt, 1895-98

Athens, Georgia, US

pieced, appliqued, and printed cotton embroidered with plain and metallic yarns. Many slave and freed women used quilts to record their histories. Some quilts communicated messages; for example quilts using the color black are believed to have indicated a safe house on the Underground Railroad. This is an example of a "Bible quilt" which is made by appliqueing images depicting biblical events on single fabric blocks. Harriet Powers was a former slave who sewed the finest examples of African American bible quilts.

John Hewson,

counterpane, block-printed 1800

Philadelphia, PA

Bed coverlet is about 2 yards 31 inches square, of a soft creamy background, with a 10" conventional border of flowers and leaves in soft browns and subdued red; a second border follows this for 10", enriched with graceful bunches of bright flowers alternating with bushes, on which brilliantly hued birds are perched. A third border, 5" (enclosing the central design) bears bunches of dull red flowers with bright green foliage and soft brown wreaths encircling them in a graceful pattern. In center is a tall vase, nine inches high, of Egyptian influence, with masques on either side. Not sure if this is linen or cotton.

Sir Joseph Paxton's "giant greenhouse"

roller print, 1851

Crystal Palace venue for 1851 Great Exhibition, London

The Great Exhibition of 1851 of the Works of Industry of All Nations was the first international exhibition of manufactured goods and had a great effect on the course of art and design; modelled on successful French exhbitions; Prince Albert's project; structure for the exhibition was won by Sir Joseph Paxton who wanted to build a glass and steel structure, essentially a giant greenhouse, made of identical, interchangeable pieces, thus lowering material costs  considerably. His design was adopted with the addition of a dome; 17,000 exhibitors, 6 million visitors.

Joseph-Marie Jacquard (1752-1834)

device introduced 1801,

awarded Napoleon's prize 1805

The jacquard loom is a mechanical loom invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard in 1801; the loom is controlled by punched cards with punched holes, each row of which corresponds to one row of the design. Multiple rows of holes are punched on each card and the many cards that compose the design of the textile are strung together in order; a drawboy was no longer needed.

Anna Maria Garthwaite

silk design, 1747

Garthwaite's work is closely associated with the mid-18th century fashion for flowered woven silks in the Rococo style, with its new emphasis on asymmetrical structures and sinuous C- and S- curves. Typical of English dress silks of the period: the spare spray of flowers are set on a white background, and the branch supporting the flowers meanders back and forth across the width of the fabric. Garthwaite became a textile designer in her 30s and worked in Spitalfields.

James Leman

design book for silks, 1710-1711

Spitalfields, England

V&A

James Leman was one of the pre-eminent designers of silk textiles in the first half of the 18th century, who was also a silk manufacturer and most likely a master weaver. He apprenticed to his father who was also a master weaver and took over the family business in 1702. He of Huguenot descent; influence of the Huguenot emigres on England's textile industry was enormous as they brougth their weaving skills with them. The Huguenots were Protestants from France woh were subject to waves of persecution in the 16th and 17th centuries; they left France by the thousands and contributed greatly to the textile industries of Britain, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.

Phillippe de Lasalle

brocaded silk, "The Partridges" 1770

French

V&A

An example of the most elaborate textiles made for furnishings at this time; attributed to workshop of designer-manufacturer Philippe de Lasalle who ran a successful weaving business in Lyon the 2nd half of the 18th century; this design was commissioned as decoration for a salon in the Palais Bourbon in Paris; in 1780s, it was used again in the Grand Palace in Peterhof, the country residence of Russian empress Catherine the Great; this silk was one of several Lasalle fabrics subsequently imported for the Russian palaces; used to cover walls, upholster furniture. and to make curtains; technically complex and laborious process.  

1. Chinoiserie furnishing fabric
2. with dancer and musician
3. French
4. silk
5. lampas
6. 1750-1799
7. Rococo
8. features a continuous vertical meander—a trunk-like stem bearing flowers and pomegranates
9. beige and ivory on a red ground
10. satin ground and twill pattern

Chinoiserie furnishing fabric with dancer and musician

1750-1800

French

ROM

Chinoiserie typically featured pagodas, exotic florals, Chinese men, etc. coming from traditional Chinese motifs

Jean Revel

points rentres, 1730-1745

Rocaille motifs, grotesques, exoticism

Naturalism

Jean Revel was regarded as "Raphael" of decorative designs; invented the "point rentre" by which colors were dovetailed in tones, giving an astonishing effect of relief when drawn skillfully. 

light & dark colors overlap and run into each other; like hatching in tapestries

Bizarre silk panel

1700

French

V&A

"Bizarre" silks gained popularity by the early 1700s and were inspired by exotic wares imported from Asia, including Chinese porcelains, Japanese lacquer works, and Indian painted and printed textiles. Bizarre designs are identified by unique patterns incorporating strange and fantastical imagery. Drawloom-woven fabric brocaded with colored and metallic threads against a subtle, one-color damask ground, usually has supplementary wefts. Imagery is typically a wild pattern, floral, sometimes abstract. Woven as luxury goods in silk-weaving centers such as Venice, London, and Lyon, France; used primarily for clothing for the court and upper classes and for ecclesiastical vestments.

Palampore

painted and dyed, 1720-1750

India for export, Coromandel Coast

V&A

Import to Europe of indiennes, painted by hand, continued throught the 18th century, including palampores (floor-cloths, bed-cloths) and yardages. India dyeing techniques were superior to what was available in Europe and had vast appeal. Smallest is 5ft x 7ft. Typical design = tree of life in the center, exotic flowers, border. India fabrics were sometimes made for certain markets to cater to their taste - combination of European motifs w/ Indian tree of life; "no sad red grounds". Process takes several weeks. Plainwoven white cloth, etc. east coast of India. Pattern drawn using pouncing method, mordants for black and red, chey root dye used for red, second dyeing for additional tones of red, beeswax used before indigo dyeing, yellow dyed over blue to make green.

Palampore

painted and dyed, 1720-1750

India for export, Coromandel Coast

V&A

detail

Import to Europe of indiennes, painted by hand, continued throught the 18th century, including palampores (floor-cloths, bed-cloths) and yardages. India dyeing techniques were superior to what was available in Europe and had vast appeal. Smallest is 5ft x 7ft. Typical design = tree of life in the center, exotic flowers, border. India fabrics were sometimes made for certain markets to cater to their taste - combination of European motifs w/ Indian tree of life; "no sad red grounds". Process takes several weeks. Plainwoven white cloth, etc. east coast of India. Pattern drawn using pouncing method, mordants for black and red, chey root dye used for red, second dyeing for additional tones of red, beeswax used before indigo dyeing, yellow dyed over blue to make green.

Charles Lebrun (1619-90)

"La Visite aux Gobelins" from L'Histoire du Roy

Charles Lebrun was the premier peintre to the King; L'Histoire du Roy is 14 panels, glorifying the Sun King, first set woven 1665-1680 in haute lisse, including gold thread; another six sets, some partial, were woven during the next 60 years; two sets of cartoons were prepared, as some sets were also woven in basse lisse technique; many were given as diplomatic gifts; other monarchs commissioned similar suites. This particular tapestry shows real people, is a current event; everyone produced for the royal workshops at Gobelins.

Jacket

1620s

English

V&A

Blackwork embroidery

Blackwork embroidery is a form of embroidery using black thread that originally came from medieval Islamic Egypt; traditionally it is silk thread on white or off-white linen cloth, sometimes cotton cloth is used. Metallic or coloured threads are used for accents. Commonly known as "Spanish work" because it was believed that Catherine of Aragon brought many blackwork garments with her from Spain. Blackwork embroidery was known in England before 1500; very common on clothing (shirts, smocks, sleeves, ruffs, and caps). Lost its popularity by the 17th century.

Jacket

1620s

English

V&A

Blackwork embroidery

detail

Blackwork embroidery is a form of embroidery using black thread that originally came from medieval Islamic Egypt; traditionally it is silk thread on white or off-white linen cloth, sometimes cotton cloth is used. Metallic or coloured threads are used for accents. Commonly known as "Spanish work" because it was believed that Catherine of Aragon brought many blackwork garments with her from Spain. Blackwork embroidery was known in England before 1500; very common on clothing (shirts, smocks, sleeves, ruffs, and caps). Lost its popularity by the 17th century.

Jacket

1620s

English

V&A

Blackwork embroidery

detail

Blackwork embroidery is a form of embroidery using black thread that originally came from medieval Islamic Egypt; traditionally it is silk thread on white or off-white linen cloth, sometimes cotton cloth is used. Metallic or coloured threads are used for accents. Commonly known as "Spanish work" because it was believed that Catherine of Aragon brought many blackwork garments with her from Spain. Blackwork embroidery was known in England before 1500; very common on clothing (shirts, smocks, sleeves, ruffs, and caps). Lost its popularity by the 17th century.

Sampler

1625-1650

English

V&A

Example of a spot sampler, which consisted of random motifs worked in silk which were often intended to be cut out and appliqued unto bed hangings or other furnishings. The term sampler comes from the Latin exemplum meaning 'an example to be followed, a pattern, a model or example.'

A Schole-House for the Needle

1632

Richard Shorleyker published this book of patterns for of over 60 illustrations of lace and embroidery patterns in London; both domestic and professional embroiderers relied on skilled draughtsmen or pattern-drawers to interpret pattern books and draw them out on linen ready to be stitched. Included squared paper to scale up embroidery drawings from the book.

Bradford Table Carpet

late 16th-early 17th century

English

V&A

Design of carpet:either #1 Man's progression from the wild state to civilization or #2 celebration of country pursuits: scenes of hunting, fishing, and shooting, as well as the rural occupations of shepherd, milkmaid and miller, with watermill and windmill. Rural scenes were very popular in embroidered furnishings in the later 17th - early 17th century. Produced in a professional workshop; absence of heraldry suggests it was made for sale on the open market rather than for a specific commission. The embroidery is exceptionally fine, with approximately 400 stitches to the square inch. The tension of the embroidery stitches has pulled the canvas from a rectangular into a parallelogram shape.