Review by Choice Review
Textile historian Schoeser, whose earlier publications include Fabrics and Wallpapers (1986) and English and American Textiles (1989), has collaborated with Dejardin on an extensive study of French textiles from the past 200 years. The authors focus predominantly on interior fabrics and record the stylistic changes as well as the underlying shifts in trade, politics, sociological and economic movements, and advances in technology. The superiority of the French style is attributed to the early establishment in France of the profession of designer. The friendly yet rivalrous trade relations with England are worth noting because of the technical innovations in spinning, weaving, dyeing, and printing that were passed on to the French by the English. The generous illustrations high-quality, mostly color, photographs of textiles from European and US museum collections and industry archives along with paintings and advertisements depicting the period interiors and fashion record the style from the early Eastern import-influenced Jouy prints to the luxurious silk fabrics of the industrialized Second Empire that were influential throughout the colonies, including the US. The authors conclude with an examination of the eclectic fashions disseminated by exhibitions and publications at the turn of the 19th century as well as modern textiles produced in a postwar atmosphere of fantasy. This important volume should be of interest to both professionals and students of the textile field as well as to general readers.-M. Tulokas, Rhode Island School of Design
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Schoeser, a recognized expert on European textile history, and Dejardin, a scholar of French social history, collaborate to examine both the industrial and social history of French textiles over the last 200 years. Traditional French textile manufacture is distinctively characterized by highly organized methods of sharing industry information. Tremendous changes in textile production practices were instigated by the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of French colonies overseas. A key turning point for French textiles, in 1759, was the lifting of a ban on the importation and production of printed cotton, which eventually led to exquisitely produced French fabrics. Nineteenth- and twentieth-century modernization brought improved dyes and machinery, which increased production and yielded a higher quality of cheaper fabrics. French Textiles showcases this rich history with 300 photographs culled from renowned European textile collections as well as notable commercial archives. ~--Janet Lawrence
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Booklist Review
