Apple-blossom textile

Designer Associated Artists American
Manufacturer Manufactured by Cheney Brothers American
1883–1900
Not on view
This "shadow silk" with an apple-blossom pattern is unusual for Associated Artists in having stripes provide the organizing framework for the composition. Wheeler and her colleagues rarely arranged their floral motifs in such overtly regimented fashion, preferring to compose them into a loosely meandering network and disguise the inherently repetitive nature of the printed pattern. However, this textile, which is probably a late design, is modeled after highly structured eighteenth-century French fabrics both in pattern and in printing technique. Like many other designers, Candace Wheeler (1827-1923) turned away in the 1890s from the exoticism of the two previous decades and returned to historical European styles for inspiration.

To make "shadow silks" a special warp-printing technique was employed: the warp (the vertical threads) was preprinted with the pattern beforehand, and when the solid-colored horizontal weft threads were woven in, the designs naturally fell slightly out of alignment.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Apple-blossom textile
  • Designer: Associated Artists (1883–1907)
  • Manufacturer: Manufactured by Cheney Brothers (American, 1838–1955)
  • Date: 1883–1900
  • Geography: Made in South Manchester, Connecticut, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Silk, printed
  • Dimensions: 10 1/2 x 10 in. (26.7 x 25.4 cm)
  • Credit Line: Museum Accession
  • Object Number: X.448a
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.