Textile, woven

Description

This Jacquard woven commemorative textile was manufactured by Pacific Mills in 1876 for the U.S. Centennial Exhibition. It has a cotton and silk warp and wool weft. The woven pattern was created by Henry Topham, a designer at Pacific Mills’ worsted department, and depicts the company’s main mill building. The design repeats in a half drop pattern. Each repeat also contains a cartouche with the text “PACIFIC MILLS. / LAWRENCE / MASS.” and a list of the mill’s treasurer, agent, and selling agents. Although the design depicts the main Pacific Mills building, or “upper site,” it was actually woven at the company’s lower site, which was then known as “Central Pacific Mills.” This object is one of a large group transferred to Winterthur from the American Textile History Museum when it closed in 2017.