Wm. Skinner and Sons camouflage pattern nylon parachute cloth sample; 1945
date: label: date made
content: 1945
notes: label: Description
content: A sample length of William Skinner & Sons nylon parachute cloth from World War II. A smooth, close, semi-transparent plain weave nylon fabric.; Camouflage design in two tones of green (medium and dark) on a lighter green ground with irregular shaped blotch patterns simulating foliage and according to the original paperwork from the manufacturer, designed as protective coloring for army parachutes.
label: Description
content: William Skinner emigrated from England to Massachusetts in 1843, finding work as silk dyer. He eventually opened his own silk manufacturing company, the Unquomonk Silk Co., making silk threads and yarns for weaving and sewing. In 1874, the mill was destroyed when the Mill River Dam gave way. Skinner moved his company a few miles away, to Holyoke, Massachusetts, and rebuilt the mill, expanding production to include woven fabrics (Skinner satins were nationally famous) and silk braids. He ran the company until his death in 1902, and the firm stayed in the family, and remained in operation in Holyoke, until 1961, when his heirs sold it to Indian head Mills, which immediately closed the Holyoke operation.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Massachusetts, Holyoke
label: Associated Place
content: United States: New Jersey, Allentown
topic: label: related event
content: World War II
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Textiles
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content: American Silks
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content: American Silk Industry
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content: American Textile Industry
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content: Textiles
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of William Skinner & Sons
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: TE.T09146.000
label: accession number
content: 170051
label: catalog number
content: T09146.000
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Fabric
label: Object Name
content: Fabric sample
label: Object Name
content: fabric sample
label: Object Name
content: Fabric Sample
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: nylon (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: greens (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: twill weave; screen-printed (overall production method/technique)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 37 in x 36 in; 93.98 cm x 91.44 cm