Textile Sample Book
Unknown Artist
1881 (?)
Dimensions
H. 15 5/8 x W. 10 1/8 x Th. 3 1/4 inches 39.7 x 25.7 x 8.3 cm
Classification
Textiles-Sample Books
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of the Estate of Benjamin E. Marks, 1967
Accession Number
67.180.43
Art Historical Context
This charming *Textile Sample Book*, in France around 1881, a fascinating glimpse into the opulent world of 19th-century decorative arts. Measuring a compact 15⅝ × 10⅛ × 3¼ inches, this portable volume from an unknown artist served as a practical tool for textile merchants, designers, or upholsterers. Filled with meticulously mounted fabric swatches, it showcased a variety of patterns, weaves, and colors—likely including silks, velvets, and printed cottons—reflecting the height of France's textile innovation during the Belle Époque. In the late 1800s, France dominated Europe's luxury fabric t...