Textile Industry Labels & Ephemera

Item — Box: Multi-collection box

Identifier: 001-04-03

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The labels here predominantly represent textile manufacturers in the United States, England, France, India, and Japan, as well as a small number of labels from Ireland, Malawi, South Africa, Nigeria, and Vietnam, and a few miscellaneous labels and ephemera.

Dates

1850-1930

Language of Materials

Vietnamese is written in Chữ Nôm script based on Chinese characters with added characters to represent the Vietnamese language.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Providence Public Library, Special Collections department.

Biographical / Historical

This collection consists of pictorial labels used for the advertisement and sale of printed textiles, bales of cloth, and individual fabric lengths. These labels range from straightforward identification tags to detailed works of art. The illustrated labels can be anything from simple line drawings to elaborate works of late 19th and early 20th century art, both serious and whimsical. Techniques include lithography, chromolithography, embossing, and other printmaking processes.

Extent

.25 Linear Feet (1 manuscript box)

Additional Description

Arrangement

The items in this collection are organized and loosely alphabetized by country using a numbering system devised by the original collector. Note, under this numbering system the collection does not contain an item number 24. Since the collector used the term America rather than the preferred United States, and Africa rather than specific countries, those items appear first. Where the country of origin is not known, the field is marked “Unknown.” Some unknown items were identified and labeled after initial organization.

Custodial History

Material was acquired from bookseller.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Joslin Hall in 2019.

Accruals

No accruals are expected.

Related Materials

Renard Silk Co. of New York, Collection of silk manufacturers' labels from China and Japan, Providence Public Library Special Collections, 741.692 R394c SpecColP Quarto.