iTEXTILIS | The IK Workshop Society

@itextilis.eurosky.social

iTEXTILIS – Part of The IK Foundation @ikws.eurosky.social
– Promoting Natural & Cultural History. iTEXTILIS led by Viveka Hansen | Textile historian | Textilis.net

@roger1952.bsky.socialReposted by @itextilis.eurosky.social

The tenth sheet from the set Joshoku kaiko tewaza kusa (Silkworm Culture: The Handiwork of Women), by Kitagawa Utamaro, c. 1798-1800, Japan.

In this dynamic woodblock print, four women collaborate in the exacting task of stretching and drying raw silk floss and reeled thread after processing. At the upper left, a woman reaches upward with bare arms to loop long, lustrous skeins of white silk over a elevated horizontal pole suspended above a deep wooden tub. In the foreground, two women lean into opposite directions, using synchronized physical tension to stretch a supple pad of wet silk floss (mawata) across wooden posts with paddles and tender hands. Nearby, another helper with a white cloth (tenugui) bound around her hair looks on attentively. The composition evokes a rich sensory atmosphere: the earthy, warm aroma of damp silk fibers and steamy wash water, the quiet rustle of patterned cotton kimonos, the gentle creak of wooden paddles against posts, the soft splash of water within cedar tubs, and the rhythmic, silent intimacy of women working in harmony. Designed around 1798–1800 by the master printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro (1753–1806), this artwork represents sheet ten, titled "Stretching the Silk Floss" (Mawata-kaki), from his celebrated twelve-sheet polyptych series Jōshoku kaiko tewaza-kusa (Silkworm Culture: The Handiwork of Women). While instructional manuals detailing sericulture (kaiko-kō) were widespread in Edo-period Japan, Utamaro revolutionized the genre by populating the rural, labor-intensive process with idealized, fashionable beauties (bijinga). By portraying high-fashion Edo women performing arduous agricultural and textile tasks—such as picking mulberry leaves, boiling cocoons, reeling thread, and weaving—Utamaro celebrated the spirit of monozukuri (artisanal dedication, technical precision, and deep respect for raw materials) while transforming technical documentation into an icon of urban sophistication.
@katestrasdin.bsky.socialReposted by @itextilis.eurosky.social

Purple polka dots shimmy across the surface of this dress, the fabric all that was required to create a decorative dress. Devoid of embellishment other than lace collar and cuffs, it holds its own in lavender shaded splendour. Late #1840s, Brussels Museum of Fashion and Lace #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡

Front view of a long full skirted gown with fitted buttoned bodice and pointed waist. The purple fabric has a woven repeat of polka dots
@drannaclark.bsky.socialReposted by @itextilis.eurosky.social

Niche artist: Gerrit Dou, Dutch Golden Age painter, born in Leiden in 1623; pupil of Rembrandt, known for polished, small-scale trompe l’oeil scenes in stone arches and curtained alcoves; adept at surface reflections, shadows, and textures. Self-portrait with pipe & book, 1650 Rijksmuseum

@katestrasdin.bsky.socialReposted by @itextilis.eurosky.social

The gossamer muslin used to create early c19th gowns was sometimes described as ‘woven wind’, an amazing description for the lightweight fabric. Here it has been embroidered with wool and I can only imagine the challenges that came with such stitching. C1815 #NGVMelbourne #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡

Back view of a fine white muslin empire line evening dress with a high gathered section centre back and floral wool embroidery at the hemFront view of the c1815 empire line white muslin evening dress with small embroidered sprigs across the front and a deeper band of wool embroidery around the hemFabric detail of the white muslin dress showing the small sprigs of coloured wool embroideryFabric detail from the c1815 white muslin dress showing a larger wool embroidered motif from the hem
@drannaclark.bsky.socialReposted by @itextilis.eurosky.social

The Gleaners, 1857, realist masterpiece by Jean-François Millet, French artist, a founder of Barbizon school, born #OTD 1814. Described as an “epic hymn to labour”, which prefigured the laundresses of Degas and floorscrapers of Caillebotte.
Musée d’Orsay

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