Sample book of swatches
19th c.
Medium
Sample book of swatches: cotton, plain weave, block printed
Dimensions
52.1 × 37.5 × 11.7 cm (20 1/2 × 14 3/4 × 4 5/8 in.)
Classification
book
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
229401
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The Department of Textiles has in its collection many important showpieces but also copious holdings of fabric samples, or swatches—about 58,000 in all—from countries such as England, Scotland, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Japan, and the United States. Some samples have been preserved in book form, which affords a broad view of production usually linked to a particular time, place, or technique. This large-format volume contains about 3,000 samples of printed cottons. A notation inside the c...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...