Ribbed metallic textile

Cheney Brothers|Associated Artists

1883–1900 · Silk and metallic-wrapped cotton thread, woven · The American Wing

As early as 1884, Candace Wheeler's (1827-1923) firm Associated Artists designed a lightweight silk to be used for the nearly sheer curtains that were customarily hung under draperies of heavier fabrics. It was called “Beyreuth” silk to suggest an exotic Eastern quality and was described in the press as “changeable in lustre, showing at an eighth of an inch interval a gold weft thread.” This example of what we believe to be Beyreuth has a yellow warp and a blue weft, with a supplemental weft of gold metallic thread added in every seven rows. The mixing of the warp and weft colors makes the fabric appear green, but different effects occur when the cloth is draped. Wheeler’s firm also employed this type of fabric as the ground cloth for delicate embroideries.

Artist

Cheney Brothers|Associated Artists

Date

1883–1900

Medium

Silk and metallic-wrapped cotton thread, woven

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Boudinot Keith, 1928