Art Institute of Chicago

Florence

Designed by John Henry Dearle (English, 1860–1932)

Date

Design c. 1890, made 1890–1917

Medium

Cotton, twill weave with supplementary pile wefts forming cut solid 'velvet'; block printed

Culture

England

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Rather than velvet, this upholstery fabric is velveteen, the distinction being that the pile for velveteen is made from supplementary wefts (horizontal fibers), rather than supplementary warps (vertical or longitudinal fibers). Velveteen, often made of cotton, has a less dense pile than velvet and usually is cheaper to produce. Printed designs on velveteen, such as this one, reflect modern efforts to imitate the luxurious sensation of velvet pile while offering consumers a more durable and less costly alternative.

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