Textile Production in Europe, 1600–1800

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Before the invention of mechanical techniques in the late eighteenth century, the production of all textiles was dependent on time-consuming manual labor. Coupled with the high cost of raw materials, this ensured that textiles were a luxury item and an important commodity in the international marketplace. In high society, textiles were an indication of status in dress and furnishings, while in humbler circumstances, even the simplest fabrics were prized and carefully conserved. The linked texts—Silk Weaving, Embroidery, Lace, Printed—provide an introduction to the principal European textile industries between 1600 and 1800. (For tapestry production, see Baroque Tapestry.)

Citation for this page

Watt, Melinda. "Textile Production in Europe, 1600–1800". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/txt/hd_txt.htm (October 2003)

Suggested Further Reading(s) Find these publications in a library

Abegg, Margaret. Apropos Patterns for Embroidery, Lace and Woven Textiles. Bern: Stämpfli, 1978.
Brédif, Josette. Toiles de Jouy: Classic Printed Textiles from France, 1760–1843. London: Thames & Hudson, 1989.
Broudy, Eric. The Book of Looms: A History of the Handloom from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1979.
Hackenbroch, Yvonne. English and Other Needlework: Tapestries and Textiles in the Irwin Untermyer Collection. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1960.
Harris, Jennifer, ed. . Textiles, 5,000 Years: An International History and Illustrated Survey . New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1993.
Jenkins, David, ed. . The Cambridge History of Western Textiles. 2 vols. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Levey, Santina M. . Lace: A History. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1983.
Parry, Linda. Textiles of the Arts and Crafts Movement. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1988.
Rothstein, Natalie. Silk Designs of the Eighteenth Century in the Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, with a Complete Catalogue. London: Thames & Hudson, 1990.
Schoeser, Mary, and Celia Rufey. English and American Textiles: From 1790 to the Present. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1989.
Schoeser, Mary, and Kathleen Dejardin. French Textiles: From 1760 to the Present. London: L. King, 1991.
Synge, Lanto. Art of Embroidery: History of Style and Technique. Woodbridge, UK: Antique Collectors' Club, 2001.
Thornton, Peter. Baroque and Rococo Silks. London: Faber and Faber, 1965.

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