Textiles and the Triplett Sisters

According to Peter Floud, former curator at Victoria & Albert Museum, the generally accepted theory that English calico printworks was established about 1690, has no factual basis. Instead, we need to acknowledge that English textile printworks were established much earlier. Yet the myth persists, as well as the myth that complicated printing techniques in England didn’t start until 1815-1825. Block printing of simple patterns had been practiced since the 12th century onwards, although not necessarily colorfast. The credit for establishing calico printing as an industry in England should be given to William Sherwin at West Ham in 1676, yes, the 17th century. William Sherwin was an engraver in the 1660’s to the crown and in 1676 he was awarded patent #190 for inventing a new method of printing calicos. (Note: According to the British Museum, “this...

Blackburn greys was a fabric of linen weft and cotton warp that was made in the Blackburn area of Lancashire, England and primarily made in the area by weavers at home. About 1750 Robert Peel living on Hole House Farm, near Blackburn invented a wooden roller system (wooden cylinder carved in relief) which was later known as a mule machine to print on fabric. Robert Peel would give up farming to focus on calico printing. Later one of his sons would introduce the engraved copper cylinder to their firm Peel & Co. Sadly, in December 1791 their cotton works made the newspaper for a large fire. The company then called Peel, Aintworth, and Co. would recover, but needed additional capital. William Yates would provide the capital and thus the company would become known as Peel, Yates,...

Just a reminder that because of the chinoiserie medallion in a recent acquisition quilt, we are continuing to research early textile printers in England. Because the medallions, panels, and borders printed were considered furnishing prints, not a basic calico, we’ve been exploring early furnishing printers from the late 1700s and beyond. Bannister Hall and Bromley Hall are the most frequently cited textiles printers from the period, however both printers went through multiple different owners and did commission printing for furniture manufacturers. (To learn more about Bannister Hall and Bromley Hall, click on their names to read a previous blog post.) Besides William Kilburn, a leading textile designer discussed in our last blog, Richard Ovey of Covent Garden was the leading London merchant for furniture prints from 1790 to 1831. Textiles at the Victoria and Albert Museum...

Continued research on the new acquisition quilts caused additional research on early English textile printing which supports earlier dates on certain printing milestones. The date of 1815 is cited frequently for designs on cotton with some complexity. However, I would argue the date should be earlier. In 1752 copper plate printing was developed in Ireland, and quickly spread to England. Prints from copper plates produce the finer details needed to create complex designs. Also of note, in 1774, parliament passed the “United Kingdom of the Realm Act” which required foreign cottons to be heavily taxed upon import into England. English printed cottons intended for export from England would be marked with “the three blue threads” and be refunded the tax in the colonies. If you have antique fabric with three blue threads in the selvedge, then...

As I was researching the chinoiserie panel, I saw several borders used in different quilts, which got me wondering about borders. Naturally, I then had to research border fabric that has obviously been around for some time. Also, I was surprised to see borders printed both horizontally and vertically which is convenient depending on the fabrics intended use. Border fabric was printed to be used for petticoats, with one border printed horizontally to provide a finish to the petticoat. A simpler print was used on the remainder of the fabric, which would make for easier block printing. It also allowed for one seam to be added to create the tube and as an early form of ready to wear, kept in stock. Once the petticoat was selected it could simply be fitted at the waist. Some...