Archive for June, 2015

Tie Silk Swatches, 1926 (Part II)

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2015

The easily-distracted blogger returns! Because the paper in the swatch book is literally crumbling, with an archeological dig’s worth of manila chips and shards breaking off each time I turn a page, I’m going to plow straight through to the end capturing the gorgeous contents digitally… and then seek a conservator’s help before opening the book again! (I haven’t abandoned the spring/summer Globe Tailoring sample book and promise to share the rest of it before it goes “out of season”… :) )

I’ll present each page or pair of pages so you can see the range of color options the various patterns were offered in, and then show a closeup or two that shows the complexity of the different weaves and of the subtle but astounding color variation. What most amazes me about these swatches is their infinite variety, and what it implies about the vastly superior state of textile arts at the time (ie the existence of jacquard machines that could be reset over and over without bankrupting a company).

Without further ado then…

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