Lot 16
Paisley Textiles, original watercolours
Rare Books, Maps, Manuscripts & Photographs
Auction: 10 January 2007 at 11:00 GMT
Description
An album of 338 original watercolour and gouache designs on paper for Paisley textiles, probably a manufacturer's design portfolio, bound into a folio album, probably French, with lettering largely lost from spine [Pro]priete Ma[ison] Stamm [or Slamm], c.1870-80
Footnote
Note: A very fine collection of original Paisley designs, the work of a shawl designer, shawl designer company, or shawl manufacturer. Shawls of Paisley design were in fashion for nearly 100 years, from around 1780 until the 1870’s. During this time millions were woven, embroidered and printed in Kashmir, Persia, India, Russia, USA and Europe, in France at Paris and Lyon, Austria in Vienna, in England at Norwich and in Scotland at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Paisley itself. It was the woven Kashmir shawls which first caught women's imagination and European manufacturers were quick to emulate them by weaving or printing. Paisley produced shawls the most economically and for the longest period, the name becoming synonymous with the place of manufacture. One of the biggest problems within the shawl industry, and their designs, is that of provenance, because the different weaving and printing centres were busy copying and pirating each other's designs.
It is likely that these designs may have originated in Alsace.