Printed Textiles of England and France

(AD 1600-1800)

Printing- An Introduction
Apart from the use of various shades of natural fibres, color in textiles is produced by painting or printing, or by dyeing. Until 19th century, all dyes were derived from vegetable, and more rarely from animal or mineral sources. By 1900,the range of natural colors was expanded and superseded by a complete range of synthetic colors, which provided a which provided a better standard of fastness to light and washing than that of natural colors.

Surface printing-Techniques
The three most common methods used in surface printing are block, engraved copper roller and screen. Block Printing-It is the oldest method of surface printing. Though printed textiles in England gained importance only after the 17th century, direct printing of blocks onto linen was practiced even in medieval Europe. In block printing, areas are curved away from wooden blocks to leave the design for printing in relief. Copper or brass strips are hammered into the blocks to produce ripple effects. Color is provided from a tub carried on rails along the printing table. Each color requires a separate block. It is a very time consuming and labour intensive process, not very suitable for mass production.

Engraved copper roller printing- Cylinder or copper roller printing is a direct

descendant of hand engraved copperplate printing, which made possible finely drawn images to be printed on fabrics. The main difference between the two processes was that cylinder printing was a fully mechanized process of printing an entire length of fabric continuously. Engraved rollers are fed with color from a color furnishing roller revolving in a tub. The fabric to be printed goes between the roller and pressure cylinder and receives impression in proportion to the number of copper rollers being used.

Screen Printing-Screen Printing is based on the technique of stenciling, which has a

long history in the far East, including Japan. The screen is a shallow tray covered with nylon or polyester gauze. The design is applied by coating with a special varnish those areas which are not to be impregnated with dye (now done by photochemical means). Dye is forced through the screen by applying pressure from a squeegee. Each color requires a separate screen, although there is almost no limit to their size or number. Flat bed screen printing was automated in the 1950s. Rotary screen printing has further improved upon the speed and efficiency of the technique.

Printed textiles of England and France (1600-1800) A Brief history

With the setting up of Dutch, French and English East India Companies, the technically superior painted and dyed Indian cloths found their way into the European market where their bright fast colors were greatly admired. Light weight, washable and available in exotic patterns, they were in demand for both furnishing and clothing. Their enormous success prompted imitations by European printers though it was not till 1670s that a successful industry was developed almost simultaneously in England, France and Holland. In France, manufacture of Indiennes, as the imitation of Indian clothes were known, started from the middle of the 17th century. By 1700,the English printing and dyeing industries were well established along the tributaries of river Thames.

Block printed woven linen fabric, 14th century Italy

The basic dye stuff used was Madder, as with the Indian imports, which was capable of producing a whole range of pinks, reds, purples and blacks depending on the mordants or fixing agents with which the dye was printed. However, the European copies were made by printing with woodblocks rather than painting by hand, which was much too slow a process to be commercially viable. The growing popularity of printed cotton resulted in fear of competition among the much longer established silk and wool manufacturers who put pressure on the government to stifle the growth of the printing industry in both England and France. Both import of Indian painted clothes as well as production of printed imitations were banned through legislations. In France, where this prohibition lasted till 1759, it seriously stymied the development of the industry. In England too, where the legislation remained till 1774, the loopholes allowed cotton to be printed for export. As a result new and improved dyeing techniques continued to be developed there.

Earliest dated copperplate printed textile, 1761

Motifs and Designs

The earliest European designs were floral in the Indian manner, although by the mid eighteenth century they tended to imitate the designs of contemporary fashionable silk brocades, with more naturalistically drawn flowers on a white ground being the most popular. The copperplate printing made possible the printing of designs with repeats up to a metre in length whereas in block printing the size of motifs was governed by the size of blocks. Printing was done commonly in purple, red or sepia, derived from madder, while chinese blue was also used. The repertoire included floral and bird patterns, exotic designs, pastoral and theatrical scenes and episodes from classical mythology or recent history.

Techniques
Initially, the painted Indian textiles was imitated by hand block printing which was too slow a process to be commercially viable. Later on, hand engraved copper plates replaced the blocks which made possible the printing of repeats upto a greater length, though again a slow process. Printings, paintings and book illustrations became the main source of inspirations for the designers. Details would be copied from a variety of sources and then the motifs were reassembled to form new compositions. The main limitation of copperplate printing was that prints could only be developed on monochrome, since it was difficult to overprint with a second color.

Block printing in calico

French calico printing blossomed after the lifting of the ban in 1759, and many factories were set up. The Rouen region in Normandy, Nantes in Brittany and Ile de France around Paris were all important centres of printed textiles during the second half of the 18th century. The geographical centre of printing also shifted in England from London to north. The Lancashire printers benefited from cheap labour and also from their proximity to the weaving mills which had been producing English cotton from mid-eighteenth century. By 1820, the bulk of textile printing had moved from London to Lancashire and Carlisle.

Though copperplate printing allowed more detail and larger patterns with each impression, it made little difference to the organisation of labour. With roller printing, it became possible to print an entire roll of cotton in one single mechanical process. Roller printing was started in Lancashire by 1790 although at first it was limited to small dress patterns and single color. It was soon adapted to accommodate larger patterns suitable for furnishings, though difficulty still remained in registering successive colors, which resulted in the use of monochromes.