Textile Delight Part 2

Someone noted in the comments of my Textile Delight post that I hadn’t added any details about the cloth I took pictures of at the Victoria & Albert Museum and posted here on Marie Antoinette’s Diamonds. It’s true–I just posted the beautiful textiles and went merrily on my way. After I read the comment, I remembered that I probably had taken pictures of the information tags for each textile. I looked and didn’t find any such pictures until the other day. They were hiding on my camera, never having been transferred to my computer. I was thrilled to find them.

What I found was not a surprise. I remembered for the most part what they were. They were all French (or probably French) brocaded silk from the 1750’s to 1770’s–approximately the same time period as the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, though a little earlier. Here are a few details on each of the four textiles I got decent photos of.

Brocaded silk, probably French, 1760's. Tissue with a tabby ground and a flush pattern. Brocaded with colored silks.

Brocaded silk, French, 1770's. Tabby weave, brocaded in colored silk. The lacey pattern distracts from the lines of flowers., a common design in the 3rd quarter of the 18th century.

Brocaded silk in the French style of 1765-1775 but not necessarily French. Silk tabby striped in the warp, brocaded with metal thread, colored silk, and cordonnet.

Richly brocaded silk, French 1750-55. Woven in tabby, brocaded in silk and metal thread. The flush pattern in the field is created by a blue pattern weft.

Textile Delight

I have to admit it–your average 22-year-old wouldn’t jump up and down with glee when she found, in a museum, an enormous stock of textiles from all ages of history. Not being exactly “average”, I got a little giddy.

I didn’t realize that the Victoria & Albert Museum had such a lovely collection of textiles on display. Upstairs on the third (ie fourth to Americans) floor, just beside the Europe and American 19th century room, there is a place of splendor. The long, thin room is filled with rows of textile samples. They work a bit like library stacks. There are rows, and slotted into each row is an upright wooden frame with a textile sample. Each one is numbered for reference and has a label for more detail.

The textiles included come from all over the world and are as old as the 14th century (perhaps earlier–that is the earliest date I recall seeing).

My first thought was: Nicole! There are few things are lovely as 18th-century dress and textile. There were some very pretty lace and printed cotton samples. The lace is impressive mostly because of the work put into it. I found the cotton prints interesting because they all seemed to be on a white background. I probably could have spent hours going through that place, admiring the beauty of it all. I went through, tugging things partially at random. I didn’t mind what I pulled out, because it was all impressive.

Near the end of my time, I found exactly what I was looking for: some exquisite cloth of exactly the type I can see the ladies of the Affair of the Diamond Necklace wearing. I thought particularly of Nicole, of course, as she is the main character of my work-in-progress. I took some pictures for reference of my favorite ones. The result was not an unmitigated success since the room was dim. However, I think I managed to get an idea of the beauty and the color of these fantastic textiles. I wish I could share some technical details with you, but the photos I took of the information cards all turned out blurry and unreadable. Next time I stop by the V&A (and let’s face it, I’m going to go back sometime soon), I’ll try to get the little details. Until then, enjoy the beauty:

Richly brocaded silk, French 1750-55. Woven in tabby, brocaded in silk and metal thread. The flush pattern in the field is created by a blue pattern weft.

Brocaded silk, French 1770’s. Tabby weave, brocaded in colored silk. The lacey pattern distracts from the lines of flowers., a common design in the 3rd quarter of the 18th century.