Piece (one of 116)

Art Historical Context

This petite cotton textile fragment, titled *Piece (one of )*, hails from 19th-century Germany and measures just 3½ x 6½ inches. As a printed textile in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European and Decorative Arts collection—acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1909—it exemplifies the era's booming textile industry. These small swatches, part of a larger group of 116 pieces, were likely samples showcasing intricate patterns produced for clothing, upholstery, or household linens. Printed cotton fabrics like this one marked a pivotal shift in the 19th century, as mechanical printing techniques ...