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History of Florentine Costume and Textiles - http://documents.medici.org/
Part of the Medici Archive Project related to the golden age of Florentine textiles and clothing manufacture and trade during the existence of the Medici Grand Dukedom of Tuscany from 1537 to 1743. |
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Fashion Era - http://fashion-era.com/
An overview of fashion history with chronological reviews of trends in fashion apparel and accessories. |
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Eli Whitney Museum - http://www.eliwhitney.org/
Historical on-line resource about the inventor of the cotton gin and the technique of mass producing military firearms. |
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The Bayeux Tapestry - http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk/
The story of the battle of Hastings where in 1066 William the Conqueror defeated Harold, Earl of Wessex, ensuring the success of the Norman invasion of England, as told in the Victorian replica of the Bayeux Tapestries which is housed in the Museum of Reading. |
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Traditional Crafts of Japan - Weaving - http://www.kougei.or.jp/english/weaving.html
Overview of Japan's traditional weaving industries, including links to the history, technical information and on-line videos about specific weaving techniques. From the Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries. English and Japanese. |
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Traditional Crafts of Japan - Dyeing - http://www.kougei.or.jp/english/dyeing.html
Overview of Japan's traditional dyeing industries, including links to the history, technical information and videos about specific techniques of fabric dyeing. From the Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries. English and Japanese. |
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Textile Muse - http://www.textilemuseum.org/textilemuse.html
On-line research tool of the US Textile Museum's Arthur D. Jenkins Library, focused on the traditional textile cultures of the Americas, Africa and Asia. |
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African Cloth - http://www.marshall.edu/akanart/akanclothintro.html
Information on the history and culture of Akan, Kente and Adinkra cloth and motifs, Asafo flags, and wax and non-wax printed African colth. Authors: G. F. Kojo Arthur and Robert Rowe. |
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Scottish Textiles Heritage Online - http://scottishtextileheritage.org.uk/
Pilot project offering images, archives, museum descriptions and additional resources for information about historical Scottish textile collections. |
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The World of Beduin Weaving - http://www.beduinweaving.com/
Joy May Hilden's studies of the ancient Beduin techniques of yarn spinning, dyeing and weaving. Library of articles, bibliography and links to related sites. |
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Textile Production in Ancient Egypt - http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/textil/index2.html
Homepage of Hero Granger-Taylor and Stephen Quirke about the materials, technology and tools used in textile production, and fashion and clothing trends in ancient Egypt. |
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Textiles of the North American Southwest - http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/textiles/index.htm
Historical resource of the Smithsonian Institute about the hand weaving traditions of the American Indian and Hispanic residents of the North American Southwest over the past 2000 years. Gallery of weave designs, timeline and glossary of terms. English and Spanish. |
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The Language of Revolution - http://www.cottontimes.co.uk/glosso.html
Glossary of terms in use during the Industrial Revolution in England. Also, the story of the Lancashire cotton industry, with biographies of the inventors and engineers |
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Textiles in History - http://www.annatextiles.ch/
Home page of Anne Wanders about textile materials and products from the early history of human kind till the present day. Includes collections of links to publications, institutions, dictionaries, reviews and articles, symposia and biographies. |
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Textiles Through Time - http://www.dfmg.com.tw/dhtml/site-link/tac-museum.htm
A textile connection between generations and cultures of past and present times. Museum collections of precious textiles. |
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Ancient Cloth - http://www.socialsciences.ucsd.edu/~dkjordan/arch/cloth.html
David K. Jordan's beginners' guide to information about the origins of hemp. ramie, cotton, linen and silk, and their applications in woven fabrics throughout human history. |
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Stroud International Textiles Co., Ltd - http://www.stroudinternationaltextiles.org.uk/
UK. Textile promotion company, involved in events organizing and tours of historic textile sites which are part of the European Textile Network. |
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http://imatex.cdmt.es/ - http://imatex.cdmt.es/
Spain. Internet service for textile designers and researchers of textile history, operated by the Terrassa Textile Museum and Documentation Centre. Collection of resource links, searchable by materials, techniques, periods, designs and uses. English, Catalan and Spanish. |
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Martha Ballard's Diary - http://dohistory.org/diary/themes/textile/index.html
Collection of diary entries, starting at August 3, 1786, and related to the household textile production which was widespread prior to the Industrial Revolution in the US. |
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A Brief History of Silk Maps - http://www.mapscarves.com/history.html
Short article about geographical maps printed on silk fabrics, which were issued by British and American intelligence to airforce servicemen during World War II as part of a standard survival kit. From the Map Scarves web site. |
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Caratex Stamps - http://www.caratexstamps.com/
Collection of stamps with the textile industry as their subject, linked to articles about fibers, textiles and tapestry. Stamp galleries. |
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http://www.theotherside.co.uk/tm-heritage/background/lace.htm - http://www.theotherside.co.uk/tm-heritage/background/lace.htm
Short overview of the history of hand and machine lace making in Northern France and Flanders, from the 16th century to the present. From The Other Side web site. |
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A Brief History of Lace in the 1500's - http://lynnmcmasters.com/lace.html
History of the creation of network, bobbin and needle lace during the reign of Queen Elizabeth in the 16th Century, including descriptions of the techniques. From Lynn McMasters' web site. |
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Batik: An Indonesian Textile Art - http://discover-indo.tierranet.com/batikpag.htm
Pages from Discover Indonesia, providing a history of batik fabrics, information on the manufacturing process and design, and various regional design styles in use. |
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Adire African Textiles - http://www.adireafricantextiles.com/
History and information resource about African adire, adinkra, akwete, aso-oke, bogolan, ewe, kente, kuba, and nupe cloths. Includes information on social organization, processes and technologies. Galleries of fabric designs. |
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Pano - A Unique Capeverdean Handicraft - http://home.no.net/oaa/pano_en.htm
Homepage about the history and technology of Pano narrow strip weaving technique, including photos and a reading list. |
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A Brief History of Navajo Blankets & Rugs - http://www.indianterritory.com/pages/brief_history_of_navajo_weaving.htm
The history of the materials and techniques of blanket and rug weaving by the Navajo Indians, from the early 1800's until the present. From Len Wood's Indian Territory homepage. |
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History of Weaving in Nepal - http://www.spinybabbler.org/traditional_arts/weavings/history.php
Information resource on the history and development of weaving in Nepal, gathered through the writings by ancient travelers and traders describing the clothes and rugs of the region. From the Spiny Babbler Museum web site. Edited by Pallav Ranjan. |
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Unravelling the Threads of History: Textiles from Qumran - http://srs.dl.ac.uk/arch/SRD-AR00-01/unravelling_threads_of_history.htm
Short essay about the process of analysing the fiber content and the type of dyes used by the Essenes, in the remnants of textiles found at Qumran in 1947. |
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Hosiery History - http://www.legsource.com/history/h0.htm
Brief history in slide form of the hosiery technology and industry through the ages, written by Rachel Brendle of the Hosiery Technology Center for the 1998 International Hosiery Exhibition. |
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History of Wool Farming - http://www.filahome-stamps.com/stamps/0404-history-wool-farming.htm
Stamp collection celebrating the wool industry of the Falkland Islands. Produced from artworks by local artist James Peck. |
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Glossary of Fabric Terms - http://www.classactfabrics.com/information/glossary.htm
Comprehensive glossary of textile technical terms in use from medieval times to the mid 1900s. From Class Act Fabrics. |
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Stories of Cloth - http://www.storiesofcloth.com/
Culturally diverse arts and heritage project, initiated and led by visual artist Lesley Sutton, to reflect on the personal memories associated with the ritual events of birth, marriage and death, through the sensory medium of cloth. |
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British Quilt History - http://www.britishquilthistory.co.uk/
Directory of links and articles pertaining to the history of quilt design and manufacturing. |
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Latin American Textiles - http://www.fieldmuseum.org/textiles/latinamerican/introduction.html
Introduction to the ancient textile cultures of Meso, Central and South America. Image gallery. From The Field Museum. |
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Sewing Threads: A Brief History - http://www.sewalot.com/sewing_machine_threads.htm
The history of needles and sewing threads, from the time men began walking on two feet until the end of the 19th Century, including sewing related tales. Author: Alex I. Askaroff. |
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Brief History of Spinning - http://gp.mercuryconnect.com.au/sswdg/Brief%20History%20of%20Spinning.html
The history of yarn spinning, from pre-historical times to the invention of the spinning jenny by John Hargreaves in 1764. Includes descriptions of various techniques of hand yarn spinning. From the web site of the Southside Spinners, Weavers and Dyers Group. Author: John Bennett. |
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Cotton: From the Fields to the Mills - http://fiberfantasies.wordpress.com/2007/09/28/cotton-from-the-fields-to-the-mills/
Short history of 19th and early 20th Century cotton cultivation and cotton textile manufacturing in Southern USA. Includes links to information about cotton and American slavery. |
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A Picture of Women Weaving in the History, Art, and Literature of Ancient Greece - http://www.mansfield.edu/~art/Papyrus2GeoffreyBeadlea_picture_of_women_weaving_in_th.htm
Article about the position of women and girls in domestic and commercial weaving of cloth in ancient Greece gathered from pottery and writings, including technical notes and a bibliography. Author: Geoffrey S. Beadle. |
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A Brief History of Handknitting in the British Isles from the 15th Century - http://www.heirloomknits.com/history1.shtml
Heirloom Knit's history pages on the development of hand knitting in Scotland, Ireland, Fair Isle, Orkney and the Shetland Islands, from the 15th to the 18th centuries, including an introduction to knitted garments and household items. |
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The History of Weaving - http://www.alientravelguide.com/art/weaving/history/
The history of cloth weaving in short paragraphs, from the Stone Age to the present. Developed by Zeuter Development Corporation, as an educational aid for Canadian schools. |
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Kuba Textiles: An Introduction - http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/waac/wn/wn08/wn08-1/wn08-102.html
Introduction to the traditional single heddle loom cloth weaving, embroidery, applique, patchwork and dyeing techniques of the Kuba people of Zaire. Author: Ann E. Svenson. |
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A Brief History of Spinning - http://www.high-lowwhorldropspindle.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=30
History of whorl drop spindle spinning, which was the technique used to spin yarns until the development of the spinning wheel and flyer in medieval times. From the Whorl Drop Spindle web site. |
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Reconstructing Personal Style in Late Antiquity - http://lw.lsa.umich.edu/kelsey/galleries/Exhibits/Big_Textile/Big_Textile/Personal_Style.html
Information resource of the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology's virtual museum, exploring the expressive potential of decorative textiles and fashion in late antiquity. |
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Riches to Rags: Indian Block-Printed Textiles Traded to Egypt - http://lw.lsa.umich.edu/kelsey/galleries/Exhibits/Big_Textile/Big_Textile/Riches_to_Rags.html
Web site of the Kelsey Museum of Archeology describing the history of the textile trade from Asia to Egypt and Europe during 16th century, as it was uncovered at the Fustat and Quseir al-Qadim archeological sites in Egypt. |