IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR PRODUCTION OF ORNAMENTAL FABRICS
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
STEWART, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Tenth day of September,
in the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Stewart, Her especial license,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Alexander Stewart,
my exors, adñiors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Alexander.
Stewart, my exors, adiñors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein.
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in Her.
Majesty's Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in all
Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OR PRODUCTION OF ORNAMENTAL FABRICS;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, requiring that I, the said Alexander
Stewart, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, shall particularly.
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, and shall cause the same to be enrolled in Her

page_text: said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alexander Stewart, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by this present instrument in writing as follows, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates, in the first place, to an improved mode or process
of figuring or ornamenting woven fabrics of the mousseline de laine or mixed
class, including all mixed or composite fabrics wherein animal or vegetable
fibres are combined; as for example, such goods as contain wool and cotton,
silk and cotton, and other dissimilar textile materials. Hitherto, such com-
posite or mixed fabrics have generally been figured or ornamented either by
first dyeing, printing, or colouring the warp of the piece with the intended
colours in such manner that the warp may be woven up into the given design
in conjunction with a plain, dyed, or coloured weft. Or instead of this process,
these goods have been produced by weaving the piece either wholly or partially
uncoloured, such plain piece being then dyed in the piece and finished, as to its
ornamentation, by printing the pattern or device upon it in the ordinary manner,
as at present pursued in printing calicoes and other plain fabrics. And in
addition to these two processes or routines, various others; more or less modi-
fications of such routines, of ornamental manufactures have been adopted. Now;
according to my improved system of ornamentation, I weave or manufacture.the
composite fabric; either from plain; dyed, or printed yarns, both warp and weft,
or from uncoloured or partially coloured materials; and I afterwards wholly
or partially dye and blotchi tlie sanie in tlie piece. This systein of treatment
produces a ground, and the intended figure or device, or a portion thereof, is
afterwards produced upon the piece by printing upon it with blocks or rollers in
any convenient manner, with any suitable discharging medium, such as an alkali;
chloride of lime, or acidulous solutions or otherwise. I produce the intended
pattern by printing on or applying a resist or reserve previous to the completion
of the process by dyeing or "blotching" the piece, according to the existing
processes, which are well understood by practical men. The effect of this
new process is, that wherever the discharging impression is laid on the coloured
fabric, the dye or colour is negatived or discharged; but with this essential
peculiarity, that the discharged matter acts wholly or chiefly upon only one
of the component materials of the piece. And again, wherever the resist or
reserve lias been laid on prior to dyeing, colouring, or blotching, the colouring
matter is, of course, repelled from or prevented from adhering to the fabric.
Hence, in a composite or mixed fabric, with a cotton warp and woollen weft,

page_text: the result of the printing thereon of a discharge pattern is the removal of tho
colour from the cotton warp threads, whilst the colour is left unacted upon in
the wollen weft, and this discharge effect obviously occurs whether the warp
or weft is cotton, and whether the animal fibres mixed with the vegetable ones
are silk or woollen. By these means the peculiar characteristics of this class
of figured fabrics are secured in a novel manner, as well as more accurately
and efficiently, and at a cheaper rate than has been hitherto accomplished.
The second head of my Invention relates to the ornamentation of fabrics,
whether composite or not, wherein I first manufacture or produce the piece
with an uncoloured warp or weft, and afterwards print a resist thereon, finally
covering the ground of the fabric by padding, printing, or blotching, as is well
understood by the practical man; or, instead of this second process, I print
on any fabric, composite or not, with a resist or reserve combined with any
required colour, which colour shall thus be given to the piece, whilst, at the
same time, such resisting medium shall repel any other application during the
after processes of finishing by dyeing, padding, printing, or blotching.
The herein-before described processes may be variously modified, in as far as
the resist or reserve process is combined or not with the printing, dyeing,
padding, or blotching, and discharging.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect,
I have to observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself to the
precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe or
refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of my Invention. But what I consider to be
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the systems or modes of producing ornamental fabrics as herein-before
described.
Second, the production or manufacture of a composite fabric, as a mousseline
de laine, with the warp and weft dyed or coloured, either in one or more tints
or colours, and printing or impressing thercon any suitable discharge or colour
negativeing medium, for the purposes herein-before described.
Third, the application of a resist or reserve pattern in the production of
ornamental fabrics, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the production of fabrics, composite or not, with an uncoloured
weft or warp, and printing thereon a resist or reserve, with a final covering of
the ground, by padding, printing, or blotching.
Fifth, the system or mode of ornamenting fabrics, whether composite or not

page_text: by printing thereon with a resist or reserve medium combined with any suitable
colour, which colour shall thus be given to the piece, whilst, at the same time,
the former resists the application of any other colour.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Stewart, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Eighth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
PAUL, Extra.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighth day of March, in the
year of our Lord 1853, the aforesaid Alexander Stewart came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.