Date of Award
2001
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design
Department
Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design
First Advisor
Margaret Ordoñez
Abstract
A unique group of textiles patterned with blue designs on white cloth are called American blue-resist prints by some textile historians because, with few exceptions, they are found only in museums and private collections in America. Textile historians believe that these resist prints were produced in the eighteenth century by a unique technique but are not sure of the method used to produce these indigo-dyed fabrics or where they were produced.
This thesis explores probable methods used to create the patterns of the blue resists by studying the clues left behind by the printers in the fabrics themselves. I examined and photographed thirty-eight textiles, some previously unpublished examples, for fiber content and details. The origins of the designs of the blue resists are discussed along with an English pattern book containing patterns of some of the indigo-resist prints found in this country.
Colonial production of hand-spun, hand-woven cotton and linen fabric is described, re-evaluated, and put into historical perspective based on colonial trade and importation policies. The connection between blue resists and excise and customs duty stamps on textiles as they relate to British taxation in the eighteenth century is explored. The conflicting evidence concerning British or American provenance and creators of the blue resist prints is discussed. The question of provenance remains a point for further investigation. Indigo-resist fabrics from Bermuda, possibly made on the island, are documented.
This study underscores the importance of questioning accepted assumptions in the literature. Fiber-identification analyses provided a new perspective on these printed "cotton" fabrics by revealing the presence of flax in many of the yarns. The existence of a generally unrecognized cloth called cotton-linen, a fabric distinct from fustian, produced in the eighteenth century is explored.
Recommended Citation
Gale, Mary Elizabeth, "INDIGO-RESIST PRINTS FROM EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY AMERICA: PRODUCTION AND PROVENANCE" (2001). Open Access Master's Theses. Paper 2550.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/theses/2550
