Plate-printed Textile

English

1810-1815

Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

Cotton

This textile is made from plain-woven, undyed cotton plate-printed in red in the "mordant" style. The design features a dense and jumbled arrangement of motifs including Britannia in a chariot drawn by two lions and led by the angel Fame, and a female figure, possibly Victory, seated in a shell chariot drawn by sea horses, also being led by the angel Fame. This textile is pieced with two panels hand-sewn together. There is evidence of hand-stitching along the right edge. There is a hand-sewn rolled hem at the top and bottom edges. The side edges are selvedges.

Condition Before Treatment

Overall this textile was in good structural condition with a flexible hand. There are small distinct areas of fraying along the proper right edge, and there were four horizontal creases due to prolonged folded storage. The textile was slightly yellowed overall with scattered brown staining.

Condition After Treatment

The textile is in good condition, and the creases were removed. Staining and yellowing was only slightly reduced. Colorimetry was conducted before and after bathing and demonstrated a reduction in yellowing. Despite minimal visual change, bathing did remove acidic degradation products, thus improving the textile’s chemical condition.