![]() might have discontinued the business in the 1820s was because he could not compete with the new technology of printing with engraved rollers. The Hewsons were block printers, and we can speculate that one of the reasons that John Jr. A handkerchief celebrating George Washington as the “Protector and Foundator of America’s Liberty and Independency” has been attributed to Hewson, although there were other calico printers active in Philadelphia at the time who could also have printed it (Fig 3).4 founded the firm in 1774 in 1793 he gave Martha Washington a “piece of elegant Chintz” printed by him in the hope that she would wear it to remove the prejudice against American manufactures, which were generally believed to be of lower quality than those imported from Britain. ![]() John Hewson (1744–1821), although not the first, was one of the most successful early calico printers in America. Handkerchiefs were also part of the stock-in-trade of American calico printers. When Colin Gillespie returned to live in Scotland in 1805 he established a partnership with John Graham, who ran the American side of the business.3 Gillespie, Anderston Printfield, Near Glasgow” in about 1815.2 The American trade was so important that another son, Colin, lived in New York (and became an American citizen), in the 1790s and the early 1800s. Winterthur has a handkerchief printed by “R. He first established a printworks at Anderston in about 1772, which was later enlarged by his son Richard. 1807) operated a large and successful business spinning, weaving, and printing cotton in the Glasgow area. Winterthur’s collection includes a very rare early handkerchief printed by William Gillespie & Company commemorating the resignation of George Washington from the presidency of the United States in 1796 (Fig 2). Although many London merchants had been bankrupted by the disruption in trade during the war, the American market remained important to the calico printing industry.ĭuring the Revolution, merchants in the southwest of Scotland began to invest heavily in various branches of cotton manufacturing and continued to export their goods to America after peace was achieved. It might seem odd that British textile printers would celebrate the American general who had recently defeated the might of the British army, but at the time of the American Revolution, the colonies in North America were the fastest growing and wealthiest market for British goods. Museum purchase acquired through the bequest of Henry Francis du Pont (2008.9). Gardiner inscribed his name on some of his prints, including an allegorical “Map of Man” and yardage printed for use as furnishings.1įig 4: Series of uncut handkerchiefs printed by the Germantown Printworks, about 1825. Among them is Henry Gardiner (1744–1839), whose printworks in Wandsworth, Surrey, employed 250 hands in the early 1790s. Although many firms are known to have printed handkerchiefs, the work of only a few can be documented (Fig 1). London was an early center of textile printing and even after the bulk of the industry moved north, printers in London continued to produce handkerchiefs and shawls into the twentieth century for the high end of the market. Although the vast majority of surviving examples are anonymous, a few early examples can be documented and safely attributed to textile printers in London, Glasgow, and Philadelphia. Today, collectors focus primarily on iconography, but another way to consider them is by maker. Records show that block printers had special sized tables on which to print them, while in the nineteenth century, sizes of handkerchiefs were adapted to the limitations of the roller printing machines. ![]() In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, handkerchiefs were a mainstay of many textile printers’ production. ![]() Today, historic handkerchiefs are most often framed and hung on a wall. ![]() So-called “handkerchiefs” were also often stitched into the center of quilts. Historically, the term “handkerchief” can mean a utilitarian piece of fabric used to wipe the eyes, nose, or brow, or a decorative accessory carried in the hand, dangled from a pocket, worn around the neck, or sometimes covering the head. Printed handkerchiefs of all kinds have long been popular with collectors. Gift of Henry Francis du Pont (1959.963). Fig 3: Handkerchief attributed to John Hewson, Philadelphia, about 1776. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |