Three samples of woven "Astrachan" (also Astrakhan) faux fur; 1884; Huddersfield, England
date: label: date made
content: 1884
notes: label: Description
content: Three sample swatches approx. 5.5" x 5", of variations of the faux fur called "Astrachan" or "Astrakhan". These samples from a group of 16 European-made faux furs donated by importer H. Herrman Sternbach & Co., NYC, in 1884. They are a woven fabric with a cotton back and a mohair or wool curled and pressed pile face. Each sample has a slightly different structure for the pile weave, producing fabrics with different surfaces and pile lengths and curl patterns. The fabric was made at Huddersfield, England. / Accompanying documentation in the accession folder reads:"These goods are made in Huddersfield, England by machines specially designed for the purpose; they are made from 24-50 inches in width. The back or body of the cloth is cotton, the curl or pile is sheep's wool and mohair. The cotton warp is off the beam as in ordinary weaving but the pile is run from another beam fixed on the top of the loom and run through a separate appliance which brings it in conjunction with the other part of the loom, where the weft isthrown through the warp and the pile warp is woven in at the same time. The pile warp is twisted very hard to make the curl. After the goods are woven they are cut evenly by machine to give them a natural appearance. These goods are dyed and finished after they are made. The natives of Astrachan, a little place bordering on southeast Russia, formerly wore the real skins of which the specimens are imitations." 2nd page: "Specimens of manufactures, all designed in imitation of the wool, or fur, or hair of those animals whose natural skins have been used from the earliest times as a means of clothing; for which their great warmth has made them especially adapted. / Thus the sheep, goat, camel, buffalo, bear, fox, seal, beaver, otter, and manyothers have been laid under contribution to supply those wants which the rigors of climate rendered necessary. / The great beauty as well as comfort of many of these furs and skins have always been sought after, but their cost and the difficulty of obtaining them have precluded the possibility of their possession, by any but the wealthier classes. / Human ingenuity has therefore been taxed to rpovide something which should as near as possible resemble both in appearance and comfort these much valued articles. / This has been accomplished, and the various imitations of furs, skins, etc. now not only nearly equal the original in point of appearance, but actually surpass them in point of durability, while the comparatively low price at which they can be produced places them within the reach of everyone."
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United Kingdom: England, Kirklees, Huddersfield
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
label: See more items in
content: Textiles
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of H. Herrman, of H. Herrman, Sternbach & Co..
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.15466.01
label: accession number
content: 15466
label: catalog number
content: 15466.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: faux fur samples
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cotton; mohair, wool (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: pile weave (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 5 in x 5 1/2 in; 12.7 cm x 13.97 cm