Textile fragment (Textile sample)

Description

This small cotton textile, printed with a letter from retailer Martin J. Cooley, is both a fabric sample and advertisement. The letter, dated August 31, 1888, announces a line of cottons “manufactured by the Homestead Mills” that were being sold by Dale Reed and Cooley in New York. Though the cottons were all made by one company, the letter lists various brand names, such as “Homestead Cambric,” “Homestead AA,” “Golden Wedding,” “Dunellen Mills,” and “Rutledge Mills.” In the late 19th century, textiles began to be sold under a variety of different brand names, or trademarks, depending on what the product was and how it was being marketed. A 1921 industry directory stated that “The lines of textile products... which are now being sold under trademarks or brand names, count up into the thousands, and the number is rapidly increasing.” Memorable names helped differentiate products on crowded store shelves, while familiar brands held the promise of consistency and quality. Prospective buyers, holding this sample of the “Homestead Cambric” in their hands, would be able to judge for themselves. This object is one of a large group transferred to Winterthur from the American Textile History Museum when it closed in 2017.