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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings Textile Society of America 1998 Damask Linen Manufacture and Marketing at the Turn-of-the- Century: Interpreting the Biltmore House Collection Kate Rehkopf Textile Society of America Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf Part of the Art and Design Commons Rehkopf, Kate, "Damask Linen Manufacture and Marketing at the Turn-of-the-Century: Interpreting the Biltmore House Collection" (1998). Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings. 202. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/202 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Textile Society of America at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Damask Linen Manufacture and Marketing at the Turn-of-the-Century: Interpreting the Biltmore House Collection by Kate Rehkopf Damask linen manufacture has a long interpretation of this collection were unan­ and varied history. Appearing in Europe swered. While attempting to describe and around the fifth century, damask linens categorize the damask designs, it became quickly became desired by those possessing obvious that the few published sources great wealth. Figured damask linen was mainly contain illustrations of pre-nineteenth especially prized and was often the only type century damask designs, or of design styles of table cover to be used by royalty. Heral­ not present in our collection. Digging deeper, dic crests, hunting scenes, historical events, we wondered if we could discover where and other symbols or occasions of cultural these linens were manufactured and then importance were memorialized in figured somehow classify the designs through that damask linen. By the end of the nineteenth avenue. No marks were found on any linens, century, the use of figured damask linens however, and receipts in the Biltmore House was a symbol of royalty, luxury, and beauty. archives were not helpful in determining These attributes figured prominently origin. It became increasingly clear that in the appointment of George Washington further research on damask linen manufac­ Vanderbilt's home, Biltmore, at the tum of ture and marketing would be beneficial for the century. A grandson of Cornelius c~taloging and interpreting this collection. Vanderbilt, George Vanderbilt purchased Through the course of this paper, I 125,000 acres in western North Carolina on will first summarize the historical informa­ which to construct his 250-room home. tion on this topic, which is extensive. It Architect Richard Morris Hunt drew inspira­ provides a good background for the develop­ tion for Biltmore's design from three French ment of nineteenth century damasks. Sec­ chateaux. While similar in extravagance to ondly, I will illustrate a few damasks from the Vanderbilt mansions built in Newport, the Biltmore House collection. My hope is Rhode Island, Biltmore represented a sig­ that publicizing the information about this nificant departure from the social main­ collection will encourage further scholarship stream. A luxurious but quiet retreat, on damask table linens. Biltmore offered a venue in which Vanderbilt While damasks were produced for could study and enjoy the fruits of one of his centuries in Europe by the drawloom, the greatest passions: travel. Industrial Revolution and the introduction of It was through his travels that George the Jacquard loom profoundly changed the Vanderbilt managed to amass an impressive way damasks were created in the nineteenth collection of damask table linens. Contain­ century. Invented in 1804 in France, the ing over 1300 napkins and tablecloths, the Jacquard loom was in use by Scottish and table linen collection at Biltmore House Irish linen damask weavers by the 1820s. By provides an excellent example of late nine­ the end of the century linen damask was teenth century damask. While cataloging woven in Belgium, France, Germany, and this collection over the course of a year and a Austria, in addition to Scotland and Ireland. half, however, it became clear that many The city of Courtrai in Belgium and Ireland questions concerning the origin, design, and were areas with the highest production 90 Textile Society of America 1998 Proceedings during this period,l with France a close the greater availability of goods and their third. 2 Although the Jacquard loom allowed purchase by a larger number of consumers. 5 for higher production oftable linens, goods Perhaps the most influential of these made of linen were still reserved for the factors was the popular world's fairs. The upper classes, due to the intensive production Crystal Palace exposition in London in 1851, methods of flax and the relatively wide especially, helped to encourage production of availability of cheaper cotton goods.3 high-quality French made goods for con­ While the purchase of linen goods sumption by the French bourgeoisie. The was still limited to the upper classes, linens reputation of these goods then spread to the were more widely available to these people rest of the world, helping to establish France due to a number of changes which were as the premier source for high-quality luxury taking place at the end of the nineteenth items.6 Drawing on the popularity of these century. Improved technology allowed for a international expositions and world's fairs greater exchange of both goods and people: were the developers of the first department railroads, concrete and steel bridges, and stores in Paris, which induced France's larger and faster ships led to increased world leadership in advertising and retail at the end trade, while also allowing for extensive of the last century.7 travel among the upper classes.4 As the center of cultural and commer­ Improved transportation was just one cial changes, France was an important factor which led to the rise of a consumer influence on the lives of upper class Ameri­ society at the end of the nineteenth century. cans at the end of the nineteenth century. European contact with Asia and the Ameri­ George Vanderbilt was one upper class cas; world's fairs and international exposi­ American who was fascinated with French tions; department stores; and the expansion culture. In his lifetime, he visited Europe of advertising and the mass media allIed to more than thirty times, owned an apartment Figure 1. Textile Society of America 1998 Proceedings 91 in Paris, and based his most extravagant five different damask designs extant in the home on French architecture. Other Gilded collection consist of damasks with a central Age Americans followed the same model. floral design. Thirty-three designs include Emulating European, and especially French, roses; daisies; berries; clover; chrysanthe­ style was a way to ensure the social position mums; fruit; asters; poppies; lilies of the of newly rich American families and satisfy valley; fuschias; tulips; oak leaves; laurel; personal desires for lUXUry. and pansies in various combinations. Most of In late nineteenth century upper class the floral designs consist of one or two culture, the objects one put in the home was borders of flowers and foliage intertwined just as indicative of social class and taste as with various other elements, including what one wore, where one traveled, and who ribbon, beading, dots, and vessels. The one associated with. Most often, the deco­ thirty-three floral designs can be organized, rating style was characterized by eclecticism. for the sake of discussion, into two groups. Pattern books helped artists design goods The first group consists of designs with only destined for palatial homes. Beginning in one or two different types of flowers and a the 1870s, anthologies of historic ornament significant amount of plain background were published, such as Owen Jones's The space. The second group consists of floral Grammar of Ornament and Friedrich designs with extremely intricate designs Fischbach's Pattern in Textiles. These were which cover the majority of the space on the used by architects and artists in manufactur­ napkin or tablecloth. ing studios.8 The less intricate floral designs of the The diversity of design found on the first group make up the majority of the table damask table linens in the Biltmore House linens at Biltmore House. The "aster and collection echo late nineteenth century poppy" contains a wide border of both asters decorating styles. The majority of the forty- and poppies, which are also scattered Figure 2. 92 Textile Society of America 1998 Proceedings throughout the center field (figure 1). This damask weave, with 140 wefts per inch and set is unique in the collection, as it is only 192 warps per inch (figure 3). one of two sets which includes tablecloths, The more elaborate floral designs dinner napkins and luncheon napkins; every include napkins of various styles. The other damask napkin set only contains "beaded border, vine, and spiral" includes a tablecloths and dinner napkins. This is the variety of borders and flower types (figure luncheon napkin, which measures approxi­ 4). It is constructed of a 4/1 satin damask mately 26" by 26". The dinner napkins weave, with 144 wefts per inch and 192 measure approximately 30" wide by 36" warps per inch. long. This set is woven in a 6/1 satin damask A design of putti harvesting wheat weave, with 124 wefts per inch and 144 includes a wide variety of flower types and warps per inch. design styles (figure 5). It also is a 7/1 satin Another extremely intricate design is damask weave, with 148 wefts per inch and this "daisy basket" (figure 2). While the 200 warps per inch. napkin consists of a single kind of flower in a The table linen collection also in­ basket surrounded by a simple border, the cludes a design which consists almost en­ depth and detail of the design is evident in tirely of fleur-de-lis (figure 6).

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