Sample
Unknown Artist
ca. 1840
Medium
Cotton
Classification
Textiles-Printed
Culture
French, Mulhouse
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of F.J. Schaetzel, 1919
Accession Number
19.26.34
About this artwork
This cotton textile sample exemplifies the sophisticated printing techniques that made Mulhouse, in the Alsace region, the epicenter of European textile printing during the 19th century. Created around 1840, the fabric represents a period when France emerged as the leader in both fashion and interior textiles, following the widespread adoption of roller printing technology. Mulhouse's prominence in textile production dated to the mid-18th century when, as a Free City, it enjoyed commercial advan...