Fabric Studybook -- Early 20th Century, France -- Echantillons Theorie de Tissage, 1ere Annee

Tourcoing, 1906-1920. Hardcover. Very Good. Manuscript on paper, in French; folio (366 x 233 mm); pp. 22 (+2 blanks), with nearly 220 neatly clipped fabric samples from a variety of period fabrics, complete. Laid-in at rear are advertisements for the school spanning several decades of its operation. Original cloth with manuscript title on paper "Echantillons Theorie de Tissage, 1ere Annee," affixed to front cover. Stamped on the final leaf by Theodore Bon, Director of the Ecole Industrielle de Tourcoing. Paper somewhat brittle; lightly soiled.

An incredible collection of period fabric samples collected for students at the Ecole Industrielle de Tourcoing; each labeled with an identifying description, and most are dated. A complete array of colors, patterns, and textures, intended for the first year students at the private school. The technical coursework provided an education for children over the age of sixteen years in four different configurations: typing, stenography, mechanical drawing, and spinning and weaving.