A History of Printed Textiles

This is the first book in English to explore the fascinating story of man's attempts to print patterns on cloth. Previously the material has been available only in various articles, journals and books, which are mainly in foreign languages or long out of print. To remedy this situation a great deal of material is presented here, which traces the technical and social development of the craft in a most readable manner. Relevant contemporary comment from earliest times to the trends of Carnaby Street and the King's Road is also included. Among the topics covered are the earliest forms of printed textiles; bark cloths; discharge, resist and negative printing; painted cloths; the development of block, plate, roller and screen printing in Europe, America and other areas. Since, in common with its companion volume upon the History of Dyed Textiles, the book is also intended as a source book for students preparing special studies upon printed textiles, an exceptional feature is the provision of a number of comprehensive appendices of information for further research. These include a full, annotated bibliography; a list of museums with collections of textiles; libraries carrying specialized sections dealing with textiles; and useful trade and professional organizations. The numerous illustrations in color and black and white have been specially selected to show the methods and examples of printed textiles of all periods.