Bright Gold & Cream Striped Silk Taffeta
Chinese, India, Persian, English & French “taffety” or taffeta, such as this Bright Gold & Cream Striped Silk Taffeta, were advertised in the 18th and 19th centuries. Woven plain, they were made in a variety of colors, some changeable, some “chine” or warp printed, and some with stripes, checks or patterns. All were woven in a like fashion, varying only in their width or number of silk yarns in the warp and weft. After the American Revolution, great quantities of silk came to the colonies directly from China, including taffetas, satins and lustrings. All social levels wore silk, down to the lower sorts who could find silk in the second hand market, or have it provided by a master or mistress. Stripes and checks (including patterns that you might call a plaid today) were among the many types of patterns woven. The Victoria & Albert holds a French Merchant's silk book of 1764 with a variety of patterns.
