Art Institute of Chicago

Salesman's Sample

Probably France, Lyon

Date

1780-1810

Medium

Silk, warp-faced plain weave; embroidered with silk floss in satin stitch; French knots

Culture

France

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The survival of thousands of small embroidery samples for men’s suits and coats indicates the scope and scale of the Lyonnaise embroidery workshops specializing in men’s fashion. Patterns were marketed both domestically in France and throughout Europe. Indeed, French taste so dominated European fashion that when foreign diplomats came to France, they felt obliged to buy the latest styles in Paris before they appeared at court.

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