Tool (for textiles) (Textile printing block)

Description

This print block, used for printing on fabric, was created by the artist Ruth Terry Wolfson. Wolfson was born in Russia during the late 19th century and immigrated to the United States with her family at a young age. Originally planning a career in teaching, she attended the Pratt Institute in New York and graduated in 1915 with a degree in art instruction. While studying at Pratt, Wolfson developed an interest in block printing on textiles, and a need for supplemental income during the 1920 economic recession spurred her to ply her talents in New York’s growing garment industry. From around 1920 to 1940, Wolfson performed piece work out of her New Jersey home, receiving reems of textiles from various New York manufacturers and printing patterns on them using blocks she hand carved and designed. This eventually became the main source of income for her family, and Wolfson’s prints appeared on clothing and home goods ranging from dresses, ties, and bathing suits to pillows, placemats, and curtains. She retired from commercial printing by 1940. Wolfson created hundreds of print blocks during her career, and Winterthur’s collection includes over 450 of them. This block is constructed of a piece of linoleum, carved in relief and nailed to a wooden base. It is made to pair with print block 2017.0019.121.135 B to create a floral design. By separating the design into two blocks, a two-color print could be achieved by using a dabber to quickly apply a single ink color to each, which was more efficient than meticulously applying multiple colors to a single block. For blocks that were part of a pair, Wolfson screwed an eye hook into the same side of both, which served as a marker for the direction they should face when printing. This object is one of a large group transferred to Winterthur from the American Textile History Museum when it closed in 2017.