Cartoon for cotton printing: The Country Feast [La Fête Champêtre]
![Cartoon for cotton printing: The Country Feast [La Fête Champêtre] by Petitpierre & Compe., (Nantes, France, founded 1770](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/smith/thumb/cartoon-for-cotton-printing-the-country-feast-la-smith-888524-0.webp)
Medium
textile designs
Classification
textile designs
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Bridget Mahon
Accession Number
1898-21-24
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Cartoon for Cotton Printing: The Feast [La Fête Champêtre]** around 1805 by the esteemed French textile firm Petitpierre & Com. of Nantes—established in 1770—this delicate cartoon served as a preparatory design template for printing vibrant patterns onto cotton fabric. Nantes was a thriving hub of the French cotton printing industry during the Napoleonic era, innovative techniques like woodblock and copperplate printing produced luxurious textiles for clothing, furnishings, and export. These "cartoons," or master drawings, were essential blueprints, often featuring pastoral motifs that cap...