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Catalog Data

Maker:
William Skinner and Sons  Search this
Physical Description:
silk (overall material)
satin weave (overall weave)
cotton (overall material)
dark blue (overall color)
Measurements:
overall: 36 in x 36 in; 91.44 cm x 91.44 cm
Object Name:
Fabric
Fabric Length
fabric length
Fabric length
Place made:
United States: Massachusetts, Holyoke
Associated Place:
United States: New Jersey, Allentown
Date made:
1914
Description:
William Skinner and Sons silk satin face cotton back dark blue fabric length; 1914. One edge is pinked and the other is cut with frayed edges. Satin face is very shiny in comparison to the dull cotton backing. "Skinner's Satin" is woven in the red selvedge edge.
William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
Location:
Currently not on view
Web subject:
American Textile Industry  Search this
Credit Line:
Gift of William Skinner and Sons
ID Number:
TE.T01233.000
Catalog number:
T01233.000
See more items in:
Home and Community Life: Textiles
American Silks
American Silk Industry
American Textile Industry
Textiles
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b3-8067-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_645880