Irish people, Irish linen
By: Kathleen Curtis Wilson
Publisher: Ohio University Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Athens
Language: eng
Number of pages: 303
ISBN-13: 9780821419717
Subjects: Irish Americans; Irish; Migrations; Flax; Linen; Economic conditions; Social conditions; History
Description: The story of Irish Linen is a story of the Irish men and women who made Irish linen a global product and an international brand. It is also a story of innovation and opportunity. Irish linen has served its makers as sailcloth of incredible strength and durability for world exploration and trade; it has functioned as watertight containers for farmers and firemen; it has soothed the brows of royalty and absorbed the sweat of the working class. As outerwear and underwear, linen has clothed men, women, and children from birth to death- the rich and powerful, poor and pitiful alike. Into this cultural history, the author weaves personal narratives and the words and songs of individual spinners, factory workers, and outworkers. Lavishly illustrated and engagingly written, each chapter tells of art, social and economic history, design, fashion, architecture, technology, and cultural traditions that celebrate the linen industry. -- from Book Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: Irish linen and the Irish diaspora : fabrics spanning water / Brian Lambkin; title: The people and the place; title: A long way from field to finish by hand; title: Domestic life and factory work grow side by side; title: Irish linen as cargo and coverings on land, sea, and air; title: A social experiment in two mill villages; title: Famine for the poor, lace for the rich; title: Linenopolis leads the industrialization of Irish linen; title: Smoothing out the wrinkles... or not; title: Bright white and crisply starched : the linen shirt; title: Marketing Irish linen worldwide; title: An enduring legacy; title: No end in sight.