Fragment (Furnishing Fabric)
c. 1820
Medium
Cotton, plain weave; probably copperplate printed
Dimensions
78.6 × 59 cm (31 × 23 1/4 in.); Warp repeat: H.: 53.2 cm (21 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
83620
Art Historical Context
This fragment of furnishing fabric, created around 1820 by John Marshall, offers a glimpse into the refined domestic tastes of the early nineteenth century. Woven in plain cotton and most likely printed with a copperplate technique, the piece would have formed part of a larger repeating pattern suitable for curtains, upholstery, or bed hangings. Its generous dimensions—roughly 31 by 23 inches—preserve enough of the original design to reveal the careful alignment and scale that such furnishing textiles demanded. Copperplate printing, an innovation that gained popularity in the late eighteenth ...