Pattern book 'Perfecta' of waterproof samples and line drawings in paper and cotton, Carter Platt & Company, London, 1921-1922

Pattern book of 'Perfecta' waterproof samples and line drawings of designs worn by women and girls. Paper and coated cotton.

Waterproof fabrics are generally tightly woven and coated with rubber, plastic (usually vinyl), linseed oil, cellulose esters. Sometimes a film of plastic is laminated to the cloth. These processes close the interstices or pores of the fabric, while water repellent finishes do not. The first patent on a successful process for waterproofing with rubber was taken out by Charles MacIntosh in 1823, who established a factory at Glasgow for the manufacture of raincoats and other waterproof articles. He employed naphtha as solvent for the rubber. Charles Goodyear, an American inventor, took out a patent in 1884 for the so-called 'vulcanised rubber. This process is often employed in making waterproof cloth. The technical researches conducted in the early 1880s led to the waterproofing process known as Cravenette q.v. This process is applicable to any textile and does not change the texture of the fabric nor add to its weight. The process was patented early in 1888 in Bradford and is one of the best known waterproofing processes. Silicones in emulsion form are now widely used to impart water repellency.

T.209-1998