French Arts and Crafts embroideries

As the Arts and Crafts movement gained in popularity at the end of the 19th century, the 'natural' look became a theme in home decor and found expression in many decorative hand-made objects. The crafts were usually done by women and included pottery, needlework, painting and more. French homemakers, who were skilled at needlework favored pieces made of natural linen which were then hand-embroidered. The charming motifs were also 'natural', i.e. plants, flowers and fruits. These linen pieces took many forms, including bags, knitting bags, letter and lingerie holders, pillows, valances, umbrella covers - the list was only limited by the imagination of the creator. Many women subscribed to stitchery magazines and used the ideas and patterns offered on the pages.
The first picture below shows a bouquet of mistletoe. The mistletoe was embroidered on a hand-made linen valance that would have been hung across the top of a doorway.

The second is a lined 'envelope' for storing silk stockings or fine lingerie. The motif, oddly enough, is also mistletoe, but this piece was bought in a different region of France several months after the valance above.

The linen holder hung from the loop at the top. Its purpose was to held letters or correspondence which would have been slid in from the side.

The last photo shows a small drawstrong handbag. Be sure to note the fancy scalloped top edge and the variegated drawstring that matches the colors of the embroidered motif.

A peek at Art Deco fabrics

By the mid-1920s, textile printing had become a very efficient industry. Thus, more yardage in an ever greater variety of designs was possible.
The Paris World's Fair in 1925 - Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes - showcased the new 'modern' style that had developed in the post-WWI era.  The streamlined, avant-garde look was the theme of the exhibition and became a world-wide sensation that dominated decorative arts until WWII. Here are a few 1930s stylized floral interpretations for a first short peek at the Art Deco textiles:

This last piece is parasols, but is similar to the middle floral above.

Color schemes in 19th C French textiles, part 3

In the latter part of the 19th century, the color schemes were not at all what one might expect or imagine. The French textile companies were still very much influenced and inspired by the decades of indienne imports, so the array of colors they used was much less restricted than what we see today.

A very  fashionable combination, for example, was olive leaves with pink or rose-shaded flowers. Here are a couple of close-up photos of an imported early 19th century tree-of-life from India using olive and rose:

And here are a few examples of French-manufactured 19th century florals, using the same color scheme:



Color schemes in 19th C French textiles, part 2

A longtime favorite fabric color used in many 18th and 19th century French homes - one that many Americans have not yet come to fully appreciate - is the black background.
The French designers understood that when a printed fabric with a black background is hung, the background seems to recede and disappear, leaving the beautiful floral foregound motif appearing as if it is suspended in air! Whole rooms were decorated with floral fabrics with a black background. The French textile designers considered black to be a transparent color or a non-color.

The black backgrounds were popularly called "chimney sweep" and varied in tonal shadings as diverse as blue-black to brown-black to a bronze-black. These deep-toned fabrics can work well in many interiors and can harmonize easily with mid-tone fabrics. Below are several examples of black background 19th century French fabrics:



Toile de Jouy - monochromatic prints

Almost everyone is familiar with French toiles and in particular, the monochromatic prints - the toiles de Jouy - produced by the 18th century Jouy factory owned by the Oberkampf brothers.

Besides employing top artists and designers to create the patterns for their printed cottons, the company was at the forefront of inaugurating mechanical and technical advances in printing methods as well as research into the chemical processes used in dyeing fabrics. Prior to the 1770s, all Jouy fabrics were tediously printed by hand with engraved wooden blocks. Wood block printing limited the dimensions of a pattern and was very time-consuming.

In the early 1770s, the factory installed its first copperplate press. The engraved copper plates, much bigger than the wood blocks, allowed for large scale floral and scenic patterns. Engraving on metal plates also allowed for far greater detail and intricacy in the patterns than had been possible with the wood blocks. These beautifully designed and expertly engraved patterns were printed in one color and are the earliest prints that we now identify as the toiles de Jouy. Interestingly, in 1800, about 65% of their monochromatic prints were done in violet while the other third was done in red or blue. Tastes change!

The color green

During the 18th century, dyes for printed fabrics were mostly made from plants and insects. Many of the dyes were not colorfast and the process of getting the desired color was laborious.
In 1800, for example, when a floral pattern required green leaves, the green color was created in a two-step process. The first step was to create the design in yellow, using dyes obtained from plants such as yellow-weed, tansy or goldenrod. The fabric would then be put into a second dye bath, over-dyeing the yellow parts with a blue dye. Common blue dyes in that era were obtained from solanum berries, woad and indigo. Many early chintzes had blue or blue-green leaves, rather than a true green. Even when a good green was obtained by double printing blue and yellow, the yellow was not colorfast and washed out, leaving blue leaves.
Chemists in both England and France worked in great secrecy to try to find new chemical dyes and improved methods of applying color. In 1808, a colorfast green from a base of peroxide of tin was discovered by the Jouy Manufactory and was called vert faïence. The intentional use of blue-green leaves in floral fabrics persisted throughout the 19th century, giving an 18th century look to 19th century chintzes. The fragment of chintz pictured below is from about 1850.

French fabrics become fashionable

During the 1890s, Elsie deWolfe, America's first interior decorator, started spending her summers in France. She fell in love with the architecture, the gardens and the decor of sophisticated French homes.

Once back at home on Irving Place in New York, she decided to redecorate her house in the French style. The transformation of the home from a dark, cluttered Victorian-style interior to a light and cheerful interpretation of a French 18th century manor created a sensation amongst the fashionable and artistic New Yorkers who were often invited to Elsie's home for a Sunday afternoon Parisian-style salon.

Elsie deWolfe was always a trend-setter. Her redecorated rooms were imitated by chic New Yorkers and created a taste for all things French. Elsie's new decor included pale florals, chintzes and scenic toiles. The passion for French style still influences the decor in American homes. Below is a photo of Elsie in about 1920.