Very rare. These skirt lengths will be of academic interest to weavers and historians. I have not found this lovely green colouring before. I have four lengths.
The V & As sample book of the Norwich manufacturer John Kelly c 1760 has costs of production of various worsteds. Although the book was for the Portuguese market yellow stripe callimancoes in the book bear a striking resemblence to this stripe. The glaze (calendaring) was achieved by putting the completed fabric through heated cylinders. Calendering makes the fabric dirt resistant and therefore stronger. Calimanco or Kalamink is a Spanish word meaning a worsted material, with a fine gloss ie calendered or glazed. There were many types of calamanco and they could be brocaded, clouded, figured, flowered, mock striped, shaded, sprigged, striped white and white flowered or plain. These fabrics were produced in vast quantities for the export market. An account of 1802 describes the brilliance of callimancoes, satins and brilliants: This manufacture was peculiar to Norwich, and the colours employed were said to surpass any others dyed in Europe. A photograph of a similiar skirt in different colourway dated 1763 is held in a private collection in Friesland. This was bought in Holland where it is called grein and was used for skirts. In the Symbuts sample book in the Fries Museum in The Netherlands there are samples of stripes or grein along with damasks, plains and diamante designs with measurements in yards all exported from Norwich. Similar striped fabric appears on the sample acard from the Norwich Textiles website
Three double stripes of bright green, yellow and brown, alternating with pale grey/blue, mid and lighter blue.
3ft 6 in x 15 1/2 in; 1.06 x 39 1/2 cm
Length D is very very slightly stronger colouring to the rest. Presumably a slightly different dye was used. One side has some very slight markings. The left hand side the selvedge is coming away from main body of weaving 4 1/ in;11 cm in total.
Length E - Very slight marks to the back.
Length F - 20 in; 50 cm from the top on the right hand side there is a hole3/4 in; 1.5 cm, flanked by a much smaller hole and another of similar size to the right.At the bottom are two very large holes. Approx 2 1/2 in; 6 cm plus damage around. This could of course be cut off. See photo.
Length G - Six small holes (white pinhead size) scattered throughout, plus small hole lower left hand side near the hem.
Several museums have pattern books of Norwich worsteds including the V & A, Wintherthur and the Fries Museum, The Netherlands.
For similar skirt in this fabric: www.modemuze.nl/collecties/rok-greinen-keus-van-achttiende-eeuwse-stof-walcheren
See: ARTICLE section on my website for Norwich Stuffs.
Price: on request
Ref N°: 1374
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