Mr Bells Patterns

In a dark corner of the Archive are a pile of boxes revealing a treasure trove of textile heritage.  A window into the designs, fashion and colour of textile production of the 1800s.  They are not the cloth that was made here at Sunny Bank Mills but bundles of samples that would have been used by the designer to inspire and create new cloth designs at the mill.  When we think of the 1800s we perhaps think of sepia and black and white images but as these samples of cloth prove the 1800s was a riot of colour and design.

From tropical island scenes

From purple, pinks and reds

Some of these bundles are dated and give a more accurate record of cloth production and are more likely to have been made by natural dyeing and handlooms.  This really shows the wealth of knowledge and skill of the workers in the textile mills at the time and the variety of fun and colour used in cloth production and fashion in the 1800s.

Tags