Textile Printing
Items printed on textiles, sometimes referred to as "silks," were
popular for printing commemorative items and items to be given
away. Mostly, such printing was done on silk, but satin and linen were
also used. Generally, these items were created for ceremonial
occasions, and included menus, theatre and concert programs, bookmarks,
decorative maps, badges, and keepsakes. They were printed in a variety
of ways, but lithography and letterpress were most common. It was
common for the items to have silk fringes.
The American Antiquarian Society's collection of textile printing is
housed in two large boxes and consists mainly of badges worn in parades
and funeral processions, menus, theatre programs, and a few
miscellaneous items. Many of the badges feature portraits of political
leaders. Other badges were designed for parades celebrating public
works, such as the opening of the Croton Reservoir and the dedication
of a statue to Benjamin Franklin in Boston. The textiles range in date
from about 1812 through the early twentieth-century.
-Terri Tremblay, Assistant Curator of Graphic Arts
Source: Rickards, Maurice, The Encyclopedia of Ephemera. New
York: Routledge,
2000.
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A decorative badge for the celebration of Columbus Day in 1892
A child on snow shoes, copyrighted by the Robinson Engraving Co., Boston,
1883
For current information on the cataloging status of this and
other AAS collections, choose "Collection Access" below.
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