This volume contains snippets of silk and metal thread cloths that record the weaving business of Jourdain & John Ham from 1795 until about 1820. The firm itself can be traced back through a series of owners to the late 17th century master weaver in Spitalfields, Mr Batchelor. By the years around 1800, demand for large-scale brocaded silks had ceased; instead what was wanted were small woven patterns or shimmering gauzes. The fashion for these had arrived in the 1780s with the radical change in garment shapes that, for women, replaced the heavy broad skirt with a light, loosely gathered chemise-like dress. These were inspired by Neoclassical tastes. Often called ‘Directoire’, ‘Empire’ or ‘Regency’ style, seemingly ephemeral fabrics were essential for the creation of drapery that evoked ancient sculptures. T.379 contains many of these, in which silk and metal threads are worked together in gossamer cloths called leno gauzes.

Aside from the gauzes, there are several other types of fabrics, many incorporating areas of velvet (cut pile), possibly intended for men’s waistcoats. Others are enlivened with small motifs showing off the metal threads against a glowing silk ground. The range of colours used is extensive. The book thus shows the colour trends over the period it documents, at a time when the use of one hue rather than another was the key to a fashionable statement. One can also follow the changes according to seasons: darker colours dominate in the Autumn/Winter months, while the pastel shades are typically ordered for Spring/Summer. In some case what is preserved is a colour blanket: one strip of cloth woven with sections of different tones so that the mercer could show a client various options (images 11, 22).

All of the samples in T.379 contain metal threads. (T.376-1972 also contains samples worked with gold and silver thread; it dates from 1774-1794.) These were the most expensive fabrics of their day. Therefore most of the samples were intended for clothing worn at court or for extravagant gatherings. Many are inscribed with the name of a mercer, such as Kings or Robarts, both of whom are recorded as silk mercers to the Royal family.

Despite the adoption of chemise -type dresses in general fashions, at court until about 1820 the expected garb for women maintained the tradition of a fuller skirt. This made fabric orders more valuable, since much more cloth was needed. This may have been a deliberate means of providing support for the weavers in Spitalfields, who are sometimes recorded by an inscription on the sample. All were expert journeymen. Taking their instructions from the master weaver at Jourdain & John Ham, typically they wove in their own homes. Those named include Dixon, Hilliard, Hodges, and Jones.

Author: Mary Schoeser, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, VARI, 2023