Sample of raw China cotton fiber; Wonalancet Co.; 1913
date: label: date made
content: 1913
notes: label: Description
content: Sample of raw China cotton fiber; Wonalancet Co.; 1913. RAW CHINA COTTON. Grown in the nothern section of the country and shipped from Tientsin: This cotton is shipped in press packed bales of varying weights, most usually however containing 3-1/2 piculs, the Chinese picul is 133-01/3 lbs. or about 475 lbs. to the bales. Cotton is characterized with extremely rough feel, staple varies from 1.7 mm to 2.2 mm, color is usually white, but occassionally spotted, some cottons being even tinged. This cotton is grown all over China. This type will answer for a good many. [per 1913 Accession folder information]
label: Description
content: The cost and long supply chain of wool imports into the US (which did not produce enough wool to meet domestic demand during the heyday of the American woolen industry) led manufacturers to explore substitutes and additives. Specific strains of Peruvian and Chinese cotton were exploited for this purpose, as being "wool-like" in staple length and feel.
label: Description
content: The Wonalancet Co. was incorporated in 1905 by Harry Harmon Blunt in Nashua, NH. The company imported cotton from Piura and Lima, Peru, and from China; it was in existence at least into the mid 1970s.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: China
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
label: See more items in
content: American Textile Industry
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of the Wonalancet Co., Nashua, NH
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T00717.000
label: catalog number
content: T00717.000
label: accession number
content: 55402
label: catalog number
content: T717
objectType: label: Object Name
content: cotton fiber sample
label: Object Name
content: raw cotton sample
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cotton (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 5 in x 6 in x 11 in; 12.7 cm x 15.24 cm x 27.94 cm