Improvements in the Production of Designs on Velvet and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Oct., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Production of Designs on Velvet and the like.
I, CAROLINE BEATRICE CAMERON, of 31, George Street, Hanover Square, London,
W., Art Decorator, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to the art of producing artistic designs upon velvet and
other similar cut-pile fabrics, partly by the charring and burning away of the
pile and partly by the couching or flattening down of the pile without burning
or charring, these effects being locally produced by means of a heated stylus or
similar instrument and being variously combined in such manner that the
portions of the fabric thus acted on will present an entirely novel and effective
appearance which contrasts well with the appearance of those portions of the
fabric left untouched. The method of treatment of my invention permits of great
freedom, rapidity and delicacy of touch being exercised by the operator and
facilitates the production of highly artistic effects.
The invention therefore consists in this new product or article of manu-
facture, viz.: a velvet or similar cut-pile fabric having a design produced thereon
partly by the burning away and partly by the flattening down of the pile of the
fabric by means of a heated instrument of the kind specified and applied in the
manner hereinafter described.
The instrument which I use for producing this new article of manufacture is
similar to the well-known Paquelin thermo-cauter, its working point being formed
of a conoidal or tusk-shaped chamber of platinum or the like, which is main->
tained at the required temperature by the internal combustion of carburetted
air supplied by the usual insufflating device which permits of the supply of the
combustible agent and consequently the temperature of the working point being
maintained constant, or of being instantly varied at will, according to require-
ments, this last mentioned faculty being essential to the production of graduations
of light and shade in the design.
The material upon which it is preferred to operate is either pure velvet, or
velveteen (that is to say velvet composed of a mixture of silk and cotton), the
former by preference.
In order that the invention may be fully understood, I will describe one mode
whereby the invention may be carried into practice, premising however that the
sequence of operations set forth is not obligatory, as the operator would vary
the procedure as his skill might determine.
The fabric to be ornamented is laid or stretched upon a suitable table or other
support and the pattern of the intended design having been transferred to the
fabric (if necessary) the outlines of the design are produced by drawing the
point of the instrument (raised to the required temperature) over the pile of the
fabric as in drawing with a pencil, the effect produced being to entirely, or almost
entirely, burn away the pile of the fabric, producing incised lines (in some cases
leaving the foundation of the fabric more or less exposed) and graduated effects
of colour varying from a deep brown to a comparatively light tint according as

page_text: the pile is merely charred or entirely removed these effects depending on the
heat of the tool, the rapidity with which it is manipulated, and the pressure with
which the point is caused to bear on the fabric. For the purpose of putting in
the incised outlines the point of the tool should be at about a red heat, but it is
obviously impossible to give any but general directions as regards temperature as
this will depend on the nature of the effect to be produced.
The subject (or it may be the background) of the design may then be filled in
according to the nature of the design and broad luminous effects may be produced
by drawing the flattened surface of the tool over the pile in such a way as to couch
it or lay it down, the tool being for this purpose below red heat so as to entirely
avoid charring the pile. The temperature for obtaining this result would however
be sufficient to cause the rapid stroking down of the pile and the production of a
permanent effect, which differs from any known method of ornamenting velvet
in the fact that the fibres thus smoothed down are made to lie in any desired
direction and are so presented to the eye as to produce a satin-like sheen or lustre
which varies with the angle at which it is viewed and the play of the light upon
it, the lustre contrasting well with the softness and depth of colour of the pile
which has not been acted on and with the brown portions produced by the charring
of the pile.
It is not possible to give more than general directions as the varying combina-
tions of effects obtainable depend to a great extent on the artistic feeling and
skill of the operator.
Dadd th: 22
R
1000
Dated this 3rd day of October 1899.
Improvements in the Production of Designs on Velvet and the like.
I, CAROLINE BEATRICE CAMERON, of 31, George Street, Hanover Square, London,
W., Art Decorator, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to the art of producing artistic designs upon velvet and
other similar cut-pile fabrics by a process which, briefly stated, consists in the
charring and burning away of certain portions of the pile of the fabric and in
the couching or flattening down of certain other portions of the pile of the
fabric without burning or charring, these effects being locally produced by means
of a heated stylus or similar instrument and being variously combined in such
manner that the portions of the fabric thus acted on will present an entirely
novel and effective appearance which contrasts well with the appearance of those
portions of the pile fabric left untouched. The method of treatment of my
invention permits of great freedom, rapidity, and delicacy of touch being
exercised by the operator and facilitates the production of highly artistic effects."
The invention therefore consists in this new product or article of manufacture.
riz. a velvet or similar cut pile fabric having a design produced thereon
partly by the burning away and partly by the flattening down of the pile of the
fabric by means of a heated instrument of the kind specified and applied in the
manner hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is

page_text: a plan view of a section of fabric ornamented in accordance with my process and
embodying my invention. Figure 2 is a sectional view of the same taken on
the line 2-2, Figure 1. Figure 3 is a like view of the same taken on line 3-3,
Figure 1.
The instrument which I use for producing this new article of manufacture is
similar to the well-known. Paquelin thermo-cauter, its working point being
formed of a conoidal or tusk-shaped chamber of platinum or the like which is
maintained at the required temperature by the internal combustion of carburetted
air supplied by the usual insufflating device which permits of the supply of the
combustible agent and consequently the temperature of the working point being
maintained constant or of being instantly varied at will, according to require-
ments, this last mentioned faculty being essential to the production of gradua-
tions of light and shade in the design.
The material upon which it is preferred to operate is either pure velvet, or
velveteen (that is to say velvet composed of a mixture of silk and cotton), the
former by preference.
In order that the invention may be fully understood I will describe one mode
whereby the invention may be carried into practice, premising however that the
sequence of operations set forth is not obligatory as the operator would vary
the procedure as his skill might determine.
The fabric A to be ornamented is laid or stretched upon a suitable table or other
support and the pattern of the intended design having been transferred to the
fabric (if necessary) the outlines a of the design are produced by drawing the
point of the instrument (raised to the required temperature) over the pile of the
fabric as in drawing with a pencil, the effect produced being to entirely, or
almost entirely, burn away the pile of the fabric producing deeply incised lines
(in some cases leaving the foundation of the fabric more or less exposed) and
graduated effects of colour varying from a deep brown to a comparatively light
tint according as the pile is merely charred as indicated at b or entirely removed
as indicated at c, these effects depending on the heat of the tool, the rapidity with
which it is manipulated, and the pressure with which the point is caused to bear
on the fabric. For the purpose of putting in the incised outlines the point
of the tool should be at about a red heat, but it is obviously impossible to give
any but general directions as regards temperature as this will depend on the
nature of the effect to be produced.
The subject (or it may be the background) of the design may then be filled in
according to the nature of the design and broad luminous effects may be produced
by drawing the smooth flattened surface of the tool over the pile in such a way
as to couch it or lay it down, as indicated at d in Figure 2, the tool being for
this purpose below red heat so as to entirely avoid charring the pile but at a
temperature sufficient to ensure the production of a permanent effect by the
stroking down of the pile, an effect which differs moreover from that produced
by any other known method of ornamenting velvet in the fact that the fibres thus
smoothed down are made to lie in any desired direction and are so presented to
the eye as to produce a satin-like sheen or lustre which varies with the angle
at which it is viewed and the play of the light, upon it, the lustre contrasting
well with the softness and depth of colour of the pile e which has not been acted
on and with the brown portions produced by the charring of the pile.
It is not possible to give more than general directions as the varying combina
tions of effects obtainable depend to a great extent on the artistic feeling and
skill of the operator.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The process of ornamenting cut pile fabrics which consists in charring or
burning away certain portions of the pile of the fabric and flattening or laying

page_text: down certain other portions of the pile of the fabric to produce a combination
of ornamental effects as specified.
2. The herein described product or article of manufacture consisting of a velvet
or the like cut-pile fabric having an ornamental design produced thereon by the
charring or burning away of certain portions of the pile of the fabric and by
the flattening or laying down of certain other portions of the pile of the fabric
in the manner and by the means specified.
Dated this 15th day of June 1900.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.