British Cotton Textiles: Maturity and Decline

British Cotton Textiles: Maturity and Decline
Author: David Higgins
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2018-11-09
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1315403641

This book examines the decline of the cotton textiles industry, which defined Britain as an industrial nation, from its peak in the late nineteenth century to the state of the industry at the end of the twentieth century. Focusing on the owners and managers of cotton businesses, the authors examine how they mobilised financial resources; their attitudes to industry structure and technology; and their responses to the challenges posed by global markets. The origins of the problems which forced the industry into decline are not found in any apparent loss of competitiveness during the long nineteenth century but rather in the disastrous reflotation after the First World War. As a consequence of these speculations, rationalisation and restructuring became more difficult at the time when they were most needed, and government intervention led to a series of partial solutions to what became a process of protracted decline. In the post-1945 period, the authors show how government policy encouraged capital withdrawal rather than encouraging the investment needed for restructuring. The examples of corporate success since the Second World War – such as David Alliance and his Viyella Group – exploited government policy, access to capital markets, and closer relationships with retailers, but were ultimately unable to respond effectively to international competition and the challenges of globalisation. The chapters in this book were originally published in Business History and Accounting, Business and Financial History.

Printed Textiles

Printed Textiles
Author: Linda Eaton
Publisher: The Monacelli Press, LLC
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2014-09-23
Genre: Design
ISBN: 1580933939

The Winterthur Museum’s richly illustrated history of British and American fabrics made or used from 1700–1850 is a visual reference for designers and a definitive contribution to textile studies. From slipcovers that belonged to George Washington, to bedhangings described by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Delaware’s Winterthur Museum holds some of the finest cotton and linen textiles made or used in America and Britain between 1700 and 1850. One of the fastest growing and potentially most lucrative trades in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, on the forefront of developments in science and engineering, chemistry and technology, the textile industry is a fascinating lens into international trade relations and cultural exchange over nearly two centuries. Printed Textiles is a major update to the classic text published by Winterthur in 1970—a sourcebook compiled by celebrated curator Florence Montgomery that detailed all aspects of the fabrics’ lifespan, from their design and method of manufacture to their use and exchange value. Linda Eaton, Director of Collections and Senior Curator of Textiles, updates the classic with a particular focus on furnishing fabrics—referred to as “furnitures.” Building on research that has come to light since 1970 and benefiting from the technical and scientific expertise of the conservators and scientists at Winterthur, Eaton presents a thorough and sweeping study enriched by the diverse approaches to material culture today. With hundreds of beautifully photographed samples—engagingly contextualized with iconic figures in American history including Betsy Ross and Benjamin Franklin—this significant addition to textile scholarship allows for a full appreciation of these fascinating fabrics. Printed Textiles is destined to become an essential reference for interior designers, fashion and textile design students, conservators, collectors, and anyone with an interest in the textile industry.

The British Textile Trade in South America in the Nineteenth Century

The British Textile Trade in South America in the Nineteenth Century
Author: Manuel Llorca-Jaña
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 409
Release: 2012-06-18
Genre: History
ISBN: 1139510843

This is the first work on British textile exports to South America during the nineteenth century. During this period, textiles ranked among the most important manufactures traded in the world market and Britain was the foremost producer. Thanks to new data, this book demonstrates that British exports to South America were transacted at very high rates during the first decades after independence. This development was due to improvements in the packing of textiles; decreasing costs of production and introduction of free trade in Britain; falling ocean freight rates, marine insurance and import duties in South America; dramatic improvements in communications; and the introduction of better port facilities. Manuel Llorca-Jaña explores the marketing chain of textile exports to South America and sheds light on South Americans' consumer behaviour. This book contains the most comprehensive database on Anglo-South American trade during the nineteenth century and fills an important gap in the historiography.

The Victoria & Albert Museum's Textile Collection

The Victoria & Albert Museum's Textile Collection
Author: Valerie D. Mendes
Publisher: Abbeville Press
Total Pages: 100
Release: 1992
Genre: Architecture
ISBN:

This museum has the world's greatest collection of 20th century British fabrics. Advanced design was the basis upon which the fabrics were selected and they were acquired at, or just after, the date of manufacture.

British Asian Style: Fashion and Textiles/Past and Present

British Asian Style: Fashion and Textiles/Past and Present
Author: Christopher Breward
Publisher: Victoria & Albert Museum
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2010-10-01
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9781851776191

South Asian textiles have shaped British fashion and dress for centuries. 'British Asian Style' looks at the ongoing importance of South Asian textiles to British fashion and culture.

Textiles in America, 1650-1870

Textiles in America, 1650-1870
Author: Florence M. Montgomery
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 512
Release: 2007
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 9780393732245

First published in 1984, this remains the definitive study of textiles as they were used in early American homes.

Sea Change

Sea Change
Author: Amanda Phillips
Publisher: University of California Press
Total Pages: 355
Release: 2021-04-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 0520303598

Textiles were the second-most-traded commodity in all of world history, preceded only by grain. In the Ottoman Empire in particular, the sale and exchange of silks, cottons, and woolens generated an immense amount of revenue and touched every level of society, from rural women tending silkworms to pashas flaunting layers of watered camlet to merchants traveling to Mecca and beyond. Sea Change offers the first comprehensive history of the Ottoman textile sector, arguing that the trade's enduring success resulted from its openness to expertise and objects from far-flung locations. Amanda Phillips skillfully marries art history with social and economic history, integrating formal analysis of various textiles into wider discussions of how trade, technology, and migration impacted the production and consumption of textiles in the Mediterranean from around 1400 to 1800. Surveying a vast network of textile topographies that stretched from India to Italy and from Egypt to Iran, Sea Change illuminates often neglected aspects of material culture, showcasing the objects' ability to tell new kinds of stories.