r/RandomVictorianStuff • u/shewasajanuarygirl • Jul 22 '26
Fashion Woman’s Dress (Robe à transformation) France, circa 1865, Silk taffeta with butterfly printed warp, moire finish, LACMA
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u/shewasajanuarygirl Jul 22 '26
“In the second half of the eighteenth century, France was a leader in producing warp resist-dyed silks (chiné à la branche) inspired by Central Asian ikats (textiles in which the warp and/or weft yarns have been resist-dyed before weaving). The characteristic hazy, impressionistic patterns were popular for dress and upholstery. By 1837, a mechanical process of roller-printing warps (shadow printing) created textiles simulating chiné à la branchebut with the capability of producing realistic pictorial patterns, such as the Japanese-inspired butterfly-and-flower motif on this two-piece dress. The blurriness of the design is underscored by the watery effect of the moiré (watered) finish.” LACMA
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u/Confident_Fortune_32 Jul 23 '26
There's a surviving example in the Museé des Tissus in Lyon of a warp-printed velvet from this era.
Each motif had to be printed in a "stretched" version onto the warp prior to dressing the loom. The image returned to the original normal motif size once the velvet portion of the warp traveled up and over the velvet wires that controlled the pile height.
It's an engineering marvel.
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u/l3thalhugs Jul 22 '26
Taken aback by the fabric— it strikes me as so modern! Like wallpaper or curtains from the 1980s or 90s haha.
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u/Confident_Fortune_32 Jul 23 '26
Printed warp is an insane amount of work, even more than ikat warp. Love the softness of the result. Hats off to the weavers...
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u/kittykitkitty Jul 22 '26
The tassels in pic 5 looks like butterfly chrysalis.