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Textile sample book

1771
Not on view
This sample book was a marketing tool; it contains swatches of fabric made by the Manchester manufacturing firm of Benjamin and John Bower. The samples on this page are woven with a very fine cotton warp and single, silk weft. The cotton fibers are likely of the Sea Island type, and when seen under the microscope, the morphology in the longitudinal view reveals short, steep-angled convolutions that contribute to the textile’s uniform and smooth texture.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Textile sample book
  • Date: 1771
  • Culture: British
  • Medium: Paper, cloth binding, with attached samples of fustian (variety of warp and weft combinations in wool, silk, linen, and cotton); warp: cotton dyed in dark brown, spun and Z twist/no ply, 30–32 per cm; warp: silk dyed in light blue, no visible twist/no ply, 12 per 0.1 cm; weft: silk dyed in pink, no visible twist/no ply, 28 per cm
  • Dimensions: 9 x 5 1/4 x 2 3/4 inches
    22.9 x 13.3 x 7.0 cm
    Bound pages: 8 1/4 x 4 5/8 in.
  • Classification: Textiles-Sample Books
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund
  • Object Number: 156.4 T31
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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