{"id":3952,"date":"2016-04-18T08:37:10","date_gmt":"2016-04-18T13:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lizzieborden.org\/WomenatWork\/?page_id=3952"},"modified":"2016-07-29T06:48:37","modified_gmt":"2016-07-29T11:48:37","slug":"fall-river-fabric-samples-gallery","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/WomenatWork\/fall-river-fabric-samples-gallery\/","title":{"rendered":"Fall River Fabric Samples Gallery"},"content":{"rendered":"

The textile samples in this gallery were either woven or printed in various mills in Fall River, Massachusetts, between the years 1923 \u2013 1954 and are contemporaneous to the period covered in this exhibit.<\/span><\/p>\n

The city of Fall River, Massachusetts was noted, world-wide, as the major center of cotton textile production in the United States during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; lesser-known is the city\u2019s print cloth industry. The standard cotton print manufactured in Fall River was a plain weave textile with sixty-four threads per inch in both warp and weft; it was an inexpensive commodity that would dominate the economy of the city for a century. The printing of this cloth was introduced in Fall River by Job Eddy (1778-1853) in 1824 in a small building of the Pocasset Manufacturing Company. Following his relocation to New Bedford, Massachusetts, printing was continued at the location for a brief time by Oliver Snow Hawes (1791-1857), and others.<\/span><\/p>\n

Andrew Robeson (1787-1842) is considered to be the pioneer of cloth printing in the city of Fall River. Robeson, a resident of New Bedford, came to Fall River in 1824, and began block printing at the Satinet Mill of the Pocasset Company; the business operated as the Fall River Print Works. Cylinder printing on copper rollers was introduced in 1832. In the period of 1856-1864, cotton machinery was purchased for the manufacture of cloth, and the printing business was abandoned.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colonel Joseph Durfee\u2019s (1750-1842) Globe Mill and its expanded plant were equipped with machinery and apparatus for printing calicos in 1830. The original Durfee mill was destroyed by fire in 1838, but printing machines may have been used in the three-story stone mill erected at the site of the original structure as late as 1845.<\/span><\/p>\n

The success of the early print works was enough to persuade Fall River Iron Works stockholders to begin a similar venture. On August 6, 1834, the investors voted to \u201cerect a building at the new dam near the High Hill, suitable to print calicoes<\/em>,\u201d called the American Print Works, which went into bankruptcy in 1879. A new corporation, the American Printing Company, was organized in 1880; it dominated the city\u2019s textile industry under the leadership of Matthew Chaloner Durfee Borden (1842-1912), until the depression of the 1920s. The expansive property was later operated by a subsidiary of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Algonquin Printing Company was the city\u2019s last major printing enterprise, second in size only to the American Printing Company. It was incorporated in 1891, and was acquired by New York investors in 1939; the company was liquidated in 1941.<\/span><\/p>\n

All of the samples in this exhibit are from the permanent collection of the Fall River Historical Society, which holds an extensive collection of swatch books and fabric samples produced in the city, including examples of the earliest prints produced in the city in the during the nineteenth century.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNile Novelties; American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; circa 1923. The sensational discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen, the 12th Pharaoh of the 18th Egyptian Dynasty, by British archeologist Howard Carter on November 4, 1922, ushered in the \u201cTutmania\u201d craze of the 1920s. Seizing upon the mania, American Printing Company designers turned out several Egyptian-inspired designs available in various colorways.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNile Novelties; American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; circa 1923.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNile Novelties; American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; circa 1923.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDobby weave fabric; Barnard Manufacturing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; cotton, circa 1925 \u2013 early 1930s.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric; Barnard Manufacturing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; cotton, circa 1925 \u2013 early 1930s.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric; Barnard Manufacturing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; cotton, circa 1925 \u2013 early 1930s.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric samples; Algonquin Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; printed cotton; 1927 - 1940. These samples were produced under the supervision of Joseph Almy Fenner (1884-1971), who was employed as foreman of the engraving room at Algonquin Printing Company.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRumson Fabric swatch book; American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); Fall 1932.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRumson Fabric samples; American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; Fall 1932.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRumson Fabric samples; American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; Fall 1932.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRumson Fabric samples; American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; Fall 1932.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRumson Fabric samples; American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; Fall 1932.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRumson Fabric samples; American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; Fall 1932.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBrillante Fabric swatch book; cotton fabric woven in either Durfee Mills or Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates (King Philip Division), Fall River, Massachusetts; 1933.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBrilliante fabric sample; woven in either Durfee Mills or Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates (King Philip Division), Fall River, Massachusetts; unidentified print company; cotton; 1933.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBrilliante fabric sample; woven in either Durfee Mills or Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates (King Philip Division), Fall River, Massachusetts; unidentified print company; cotton; 1933.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric swatch book; cotton fabric woven in either Durfee Mills or Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates (King Philip Division), Fall River, Massachusetts; 1933.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample; woven in either Durfee Mills or Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates (King Philip Division), Fall River, Massachusetts; unidentified print company; cotton; 1933.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample; woven in either Durfee Mills or Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates (King Philip Division), Fall River, Massachusetts; unidentified print company; cotton; 1933.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample; woven in either Durfee Mills or Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates (King Philip Division), Fall River, Massachusetts; unidentified print company; cotton; 1933.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample, American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; circa 1930-1934. This sample was obtained at the Fall River plant by Virginia Wilbur Frost (1915-1983), who maintained an extensive fabric collection.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample, American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; circa 1930-1934. This sample was obtained at the Fall River plant by Virginia Wilbur Frost (1915-1983), who maintained an extensive fabric collection.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample, American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; circa 1930-1934. This sample was obtained at the Fall River plant by Virginia Wilbur Frost (1915-1983), who maintained an extensive fabric collection.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample, American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; circa 1930-1934. This sample was obtained at the Fall River plant by Virginia Wilbur Frost (1915-1983), who maintained an extensive fabric collection.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample, American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; circa 1930-1934. This sample was obtained at the Fall River plant by Virginia Wilbur Frost (1915-1983), who maintained an extensive fabric collection.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample, American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed cotton; circa 1930-1934. This sample was obtained at the Fall River plant by Virginia Wilbur Frost (1915-1983), who maintained an extensive fabric collection.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample, American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed rayon; circa 1930-1934. This sample was obtained at the Fall River plant by Virginia Wilbur Frost (1915-1983), who maintained an extensive fabric collection.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample, American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed rayon; circa 1930-1934. This sample was obtained at the Fall River plant by Virginia Wilbur Frost (1915-1983), who maintained an extensive fabric collection.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample, American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed rayon; circa 1930-1934. This sample was obtained at the Fall River plant by Virginia Wilbur Frost (1915-1983), who maintained an extensive fabric collection.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample, American Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts (M.C.D. Borden & Sons, Inc., New York, New York); printed rayon; circa 1930-1934. This sample was obtained at the Fall River plant by Virginia Wilbur Frost (1915-1983), who maintained an extensive fabric collection.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric samples; Algonquin Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; printed cotton; May, 1938\u2013September, 1940. These samples were produced under the supervision of Joseph Almy Fenner (1884-1971), who was employed as foreman of the engraving room at Algonquin Printing Company.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric samples; Algonquin Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; printed cotton; July through September, 1940. These samples were produced under the supervision of Joseph Almy Fenner (1884-1971), who was employed as foreman of the engraving room at Algonquin Printing Company.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric samples; Algonquin Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; printed cotton; July through September, 1940. These samples were produced under the supervision of Joseph Almy Fenner (1884-1971), who was employed as foreman of the engraving room at Algonquin Printing Company.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric samples; Algonquin Printing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; printed cotton; July through September, 1940. These samples were produced under the supervision of Joseph Almy Fenner (1884-1971), who was employed as foreman of the engraving room at Algonquin Printing Company.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample; Luther Manufacturing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; unidentified print company; cotton; circa 1943 \u2013 1945. This fabric was available in several colorways; it was collected by Mrs. Richard Curtis Brigham n\u00e9e Florence Cook (1899 -2000), who was employed as an office clerk at the Luther Manufacturing Company.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample; Luther Manufacturing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; unidentified print company; cotton; circa 1943 \u2013 1945. This fabric was available in several colorways; it was collected by Mrs. Richard Curtis Brigham n\u00e9e Florence Cook (1899 -2000), who was employed as an office clerk at the Luther Manufacturing Company.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample; Luther Manufacturing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; cotton; November 16, 1949.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample; Luther Manufacturing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; cotton; August 30, 1954.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample; woven in Sagamore Manufacturing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; unidentified print company; cotton; 1950s. This fabric was used by Ideal Bias Binding, Fall River, Massachusetts, in the production of bias binding. This narrow sample is from a bolt end that was cut off in the during the production process. The discarded remnants were collected by Mrs. Antone Perreira, n\u00e9e Sophie Medeiros (1907-2006), who was an employee of the company; they were given to Mrs. Manuel Luiz Martins Sr., n\u00e9e Victoria Camara (1895-1991), and Mrs. Manuel Mello, n\u00e9e Deolinda Camara (1907-2003), for the production of braided rugs.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div>

<\/h2>

\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFabric sample; woven in Sagamore Manufacturing Company, Fall River, Massachusetts; unidentified print company; cotton; 1950s. This fabric was used by Ideal Bias Binding, Fall River, Massachusetts, in the production of bias binding. This narrow sample is from a bolt end that was cut off in the during the production process. The discarded remnants were collected by Mrs. Antone Perreira, n\u00e9e Sophie Medeiros (1907-2006), who was an employee of the company; they were given to Mrs. Manuel Luiz Martins Sr., n\u00e9e Victoria Camara (1895-1991), and Mrs. Manuel Mello, n\u00e9e Deolinda Camara (1907-2003), for the production of braided rugs.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The textile samples in this gallery were either woven or printed in various mills in Fall River, Massachusetts, between the years 1923 \u2013 1954 and are contemporaneous to the period covered in this exhibit. The city of Fall River, Massachusetts was noted, world-wide, as the major center of cotton textile production in the United States during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; lesser-known is the city\u2019s print cloth industry. The standard cotton print manufactured in Fall River was a plain weave textile with sixty-four threads per inch in both warp and weft; it was an inexpensive commodity that would dominate the economy of the city for a century. The printing of this cloth was introduced in Fall River by Job Eddy (1778-1853) in 1824 in a small building of the Pocasset Manufacturing Company. Following his relocation to New Bedford, Massachusetts, printing was continued at the location for a brief time by Oliver Snow Hawes (1791-1857), and others. Andrew Robeson (1787-1842) is considered to be the pioneer of cloth printing in the city of Fall River. Robeson, a resident of New Bedford, came to Fall River in 1824, and began block printing at the Satinet Mill of the Pocasset Company; the business operated as the Fall River Print Works. Cylinder printing on copper rollers was introduced in 1832. In the period of 1856-1864, cotton machinery was purchased for the manufacture of cloth, and the printing business was abandoned. Colonel Joseph Durfee\u2019s (1750-1842) Globe Mill and its expanded plant were equipped with machinery and apparatus for printing calicos in 1830. The original Durfee mill was destroyed by fire in 1838, but printing machines may have been used in the three-story stone mill erected at the site of the original structure as late as 1845. The success of the early print works was enough to persuade Fall River Iron Works stockholders to begin a similar venture. On August 6, 1834, the investors voted to \u201cerect a building at the new dam near the High Hill, suitable to print calicoes,\u201d called the American Print Works, which went into bankruptcy in 1879. A new corporation, the American Printing Company, was organized in 1880; it dominated the city\u2019s textile industry under the leadership of Matthew Chaloner Durfee Borden (1842-1912), until the depression of the 1920s. The expansive property was later operated by a subsidiary of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. The Algonquin Printing Company was the city\u2019s last major printing enterprise, second in size only to the American Printing Company. It was incorporated in 1891, and was acquired by New York investors in 1939; the company was liquidated in 1941. All of the samples in this exhibit are from the permanent collection of the Fall River Historical Society, which holds an extensive collection of swatch books and fabric samples produced in the city, including examples of the earliest prints produced in the city in the during the nineteenth century.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/WomenatWork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3952"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/WomenatWork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/WomenatWork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/WomenatWork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/WomenatWork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3952"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/WomenatWork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3952\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5921,"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/WomenatWork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3952\/revisions\/5921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fallriverhistorical.org\/WomenatWork\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}