1998
Flowers • Blumen • Fleurs
English 18th Century Silks

With its French counterpart, the English silk industry was certainly the most important in Europe in the 18th century. The many design drawings which have been preserved and are very often dated precisely, give us a vivid and detailed picture of the fast-changing patterns, which followed fashion trends. The exhibition illustrated this development through original fabrics which have survived to the present day: precious silks and brocades that were used as garment fabrics, but were also works of art in their own right.

Weaving flowered silks on a hand-operated draw loom called for highly qualified craftsmen. Most of these workshops were in the East end of London in what was then the prestigious Spitalfields district. They received their orders from specialized dealers. Often they produced single pieces to special order. The fabrics were not only intended for the English market, but also exported in substantial quantities, mainly to the American colonies, but also to Scotland and Ireland, North Germany and the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark.