Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1801

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

.3 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Jacquard sample book, 1870-1872, Ms. Coll. 1801, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1870-1872 (inclusive)

Form:

Sample books and Textiles

Abstract:

This jacquard sample book was compiled by an unidentified individual in Mulhouse, Haut Rhin, France between 1870 and 1872 and contains 57 fabric samples, 56 of which are titled, numbered, and accompanied by patterns with diagrams and instructions.

Jacquard fabric is a textile with textured patterns woven directly into the material. These fabrics are woven on a Jacquard loom.

Weaving a pattern into fabric pre-dates the Jacquard loom, but the process was very slow and dangerous. Master weavers would operate the manual loom and instruct young assistants, called "draw boys," to move the threads as they sat perched atop the looms. The draw boys were often left injured or disabled from performing this work.

In 1804, Joseph Marie Jacquard patented an automated loom that operated by a punch card. The cards told the loom which threads to raise when to complete a desired pattern. Each card corresponded to a single row of the design.

The loom drastically cut the cost of patterned fabrics, making them more accessible to a broader population. It also aroused anxiety amongst silk weavers, who feared it would render their skills obsolete. However, by 1812, the looms were prevalent across France and by the 1820s spread to England and beyond.

Charles Babbage, who invented the analytical engine in the 1820s, named the Jacquard punch card system as a source of inspiration for his own invention.

Sources:

"Joseph-Marie Jacquard | Biography, Loom, Invention, Computers, & Facts." Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-Marie-Jacquard. Accessed 3 Sept. 2026.

"Programming Patterns: The Story of the Jacquard Loom." Science and Industry Museum, www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/jacquard-loom. Accessed 3 Sept. 2026.

This jacquard sample book was compiled by an unidentified individual in Mulhouse, Haut Rhin, France between 1870 and 1872 and contains 57 fabric samples, 56 of which are titled, numbered, and accompanied by patterns with diagrams and instructions.

The pattern instructions include the following sections: Remettage, ourdissage, lissage, and travail. The pattern diagrams are both hand-drawn and printed.

The samples are compiled in a volume manufactured by the Haas-Bernheim company in Mulhouse, Haut Rhin, France.