IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING CERTAIN SKINS RESEMBLE THE SABLE FUR
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ISABELLA
LARBALESTIER, of Noble Street, Falcon Square, in the City of London, Furrier,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the 26th day of February, in the seventh year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Isabella
Larbalestier, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Isabella Larbalestier, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Isabella Larbalestier, my exors, adñiors, 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 expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MAKING CERTAIN SKINS
RESEMBLE THE SABLE FUR;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said Isabella Larbalestier, shall cause a particular descrip-
tion of the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be inrolled in Her 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, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the said
Isabella Larbalestier, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is fully described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof (that is to say):-
My Invention consists in applying to the surface of certain skins of animals, 5
known by the name of "hampaster," which are found in the neighbourhood of
Leipsic, a coloring composition of materials to be afterwards described. The
process pursued by me is as follows; and although I have given the proportions
of the different materials that I use, I do not confine myself thereto, so long
as the character of the composition be retained. The skins, being previously 1
dressed, are first to be covered over with a "killing" of slacked lime, made in
the proportion of one pound of lime to a gallon of water. This "killing" is to be
put on the hair surface of the skin lightly with a brush, and allowed to remain
on for twelve hours. After that it is to be thoroughly beat off. It is then
to have a coat of the coloring composition put on, made of the following
materials.
Three pounds
--Four-ounces
of roasted gall nuts.
sal-ammonia.
sumack.
Fourteen
"
"
Twelve
"
"
black antimony.
Two
"
"
Ten
"
"
verdigris.
lettirsedge.
Four
Ten
"
وو
copper dust.
"
argile.
"
These materials are to be reduced to a fine powder, and then gradually mixed
with nine gallons of water, care being taken that the whole is smoothly mixed
together; then apply with a brush a coat of these materials over the surface
of the skins, and allow them to remain for twenty-four hours, laying each
two skins together with their hair surfaces touching each other. Care must
be taken that they do not become heated. After they have remained for
twenty-four hours, the skins are to be well beaten, and the process is to be
repeated until the skins are made the color required. They have to be
cleansed, which I do by putting them into a closed cylinder with sand and
mahogany sawdust, and giving a rotatory motion to it for about two hours,
taking care that the temperature is not less than blood heat. After this
process of cleaning, the skins will then be in a fit state for the market.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I
claim is, the mode herein described of treating the skins of the "hampaster,"

page_text: by submitting them to a coloring composition, in order to give them the
appearance of sable fur.
In witness whereof, I, the said Isabella Larbalestier, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this First day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.