Textile Industry Collection

Llama (Lama glama). These animals are bred as pack animals and for their hair, which is used in textiles, and meat. They have been domesticated since 5000 BC. Photographed in New Zealand

First sewing machine, 1846
Elias Howes sewing machine, 1846. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Illustration of a woman weaving a rug on a loom

Dye House at Konya-cho, Kanda, 1857. 1857. Creator: Ando Hiroshige
Dye House at Konya-cho, Kanda, 1857

Saltaire works, c1880. Sir Titus Salt (1803-1876) discovered a method of blending alpaca wool with cotton and silk. He is best remembered as the builder of Saltaire Mill near Bradford, Yorkshire

Weaving on Power Looms, Cotton factory floor, engraved by James Tingle (fl. 1830-60) c
KW258427 Weaving on Power Looms, Cotton factory floor, engraved by James Tingle (fl.1830-60) c.1830 (litho) by Allom, Thomas (1804-72) (after); Private Collection; Ken Welsh; English, out of copyright

Diagram of a Jacquard loom, 1838-1845. Creator: Unknown
Diagram of a Jacquard loom, 1838-1845. French text: Explication de la mecanique a la Jacquard. Bascule ou levier aux fourchettes des quelles est enfilee une chaine fixee elle meme a la caisse de la

Roberts Self-Acting Mule, c. 1830 (litho)
KW258408 Roberts Self-Acting Mule, c.1830 (litho) by Lowry, Joseph Wilson (1803-79); Private Collection; (add.info.: machine used in factories, for spinning cotton or wool)

Cotton Printing at Merton Abbey Works, c1884. Creator: Unknown
Cotton Printing at Merton Abbey Works, c1884. Workers hand-printing cotton fabric with woodblocks at Merton Abbey Mills in south London

Hammersmith Carpet Weaving at Merton Abbey Works, . Creator: Unknown
Hammersmith Carpet Weaving at Merton Abbey Works, late 19th century. Female weaver at a loom at Merton Abbey Mills in south London

Wool sorters, c1880. A print from Great Industries of Great Britain, Volume I, published by Cassell Petter and Galpin, (London, Paris, New York, c1880)

Cotton Spinning I: Development of Spinning Machinery (engraving)
XJF311273 Cotton Spinning I: Development of Spinning Machinery (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: 1. Indian Spinning-Wheel, 2. Saxony Spinning-Wheel, 3)

Hatsune no Baba; Bakurocho, ca. 1857. ca. 1857. Creator: Ando Hiroshige
Hatsune no Baba; Bakurocho, ca. 1857

New Lanark Mills, Scotland, c1815. Robert Owens (1771-1858) model community of cotton mills and housing. Educational facilities were provided, as well as the worlds first day nursery

Calico printing in a cotton mill, engraved by James Carter (1798-1855) c
KW258416 Calico printing in a cotton mill, engraved by James Carter (1798-1855) c.1830 (lithograph) by Allom, Thomas (1804-72) (after); Private Collection; Ken Welsh; English, out of copyright

Carding, Drawing and Roving, Cotton factory floor, engraved by James Tingle (fl. 1830-60) c
KW258411 Carding, Drawing and Roving, Cotton factory floor, engraved by James Tingle (fl.1830-60) c.1830 (litho) by Allom, Thomas (1804-72) (after); Private Collection; Ken Welsh; English

Different cotton fabric is pictured in the manufactory of the Textile company TRIGEMA
Different cotton fabric is pictured in the manufactory of the Textile company " TRIGEMA" in Burladingen, Germany March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

Interior of a Power-Loom factory, 1844. Creator: Unknown
Interior of a Power-Loom factory, 1844. We are persuaded that the annexed engraving will be interesting to our readers, in connection with the great question of " The Factory Bill

Detail of rolled carpets on display at store, Avanos, Avanos District, Nevsehir Province, Cappadocia, Central Anatolia Region, Turkey

Detail of rolled carpets on display at store, Avanos, Avanos District, Nevsehir Province, Cappadocia, Central Anatolia Region, Turkey

Detail of rolled carpets on display at store, Avanos, Avanos District, Nevsehir Province, Cappadocia, Central Anatolia Region, Turkey

Textile factory JLP01_08_044898
PATONS AND BALDWINS KNITTING FACTORY, LINGFIELD CLOSE, DARLINGTON. Two women working machinery in the spinning shed at Patons and Baldwins knitting factory

Mannequins are displayed for sale at a shop in Hanoi, Vietnam March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Kham

A cotton plant that was left unharvested is seen in a field near Wakita, Oklahoma, U.S. May 11, 2018. Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Nick Oxford

W.D. Haywood leads Lowell strike parade, 1912. Creator: Bain News Service
W.D. Haywood leads Lowell strike parade, 1912. Shows William Dudley (Big Bill) Haywood, an American labor movement leader, marching with strikers in Lowell, Massachusetts

N.Y. - Lawrence strike meeting, (1912?). Creator: Bain News Service
N.Y. - Lawrence strike meeting, (1912?). Shows group of men gathered outdoors, probably in New York City, to hear about the textile mill strike in Lawrence, MA

Lawrence strike meeting, New York, (1912?). Creator: Bain News Service
Lawrence strike meeting, New York, (1912?). Shows group of men gathered outdoors, probably in New York City, to hear about the textile strike in Lawrence, MA

Strikers leave mills, Passaic, between c1910 and c1915. Creator: Bain News Service
Strikers leave mills, Passaic, between c1910 and c1915

Labor Committee at Mill, Passaic, between c1910 and c1915. Creator: Bain News Service
Labor Committee at Mill, Passaic, between c1910 and c1915

Strike Committee at Mill Gate, Passaic, between c1910 and c1915. Creator: Bain News Service
Strike Committee at Mill Gate, Passaic, between c1910 and c1915

Strike committee at Gate of Mills - Passaic, between c1910 and c1915. Creator: Bain News Service
Strike committee at Gate of Mills - Passaic, between c1910 and c1915

Science. Joseph Marie Jacquard, french inventor of the programmable loom (Jacquard loom). Imagery, France, c.1900
2638869 Science. Joseph Marie Jacquard, french inventor of the programmable loom (Jacquard loom). Imagery, France, c.1900.; Private Collection; (add.info.: Sciences. Coll. Part.); Photo © CCI

Hand comb for long staple wool, 1844
3480148 Hand comb for long staple wool, 1844; (add.info.: Line drawing of hand comb for long staple wool used for worsted; in the textile industry; English 19th century; 1844)

Portrait of Samuel Morley
672622 Portrait of Samuel Morley; (add.info.: Samuel Morley (15 October 1809 - 5 September 1886), was an English woollen manufacturer, philanthropist, dissenter (Congregationalist), abolitionist

19th century linen draper
673336 19th century linen draper; (add.info.: a nineteenth century Linen Draper); Universal History Archive/UIG

Thomas Bazeley (1797 - 1885)
2603671 Thomas Bazeley (1797 - 1885); (add.info.: Thomas Bazeley (1797 - 1885) English cotton manufacturer, merchant and politician. A member of the Anti - Cornlaw League

Eli Whitney (1765-1825)
864660 Eli Whitney (1765-1825); (add.info.: Eli Whitney (1765-1825) American inventor and manufacturer, born at Westborough, Massachusetts

Portrait of Samuel Morley
672564 Portrait of Samuel Morley; (add.info.: Samuel Morley (15 October 1809 - 5 September 1886), was an English woollen manufacturer, philanthropist, dissenter (Congregationalist), abolitionist

Portrait of Claude Louis, Comte Berthollet
863885 Portrait of Claude Louis, Comte Berthollet by French School, (19th century); (add.info.: Claude Louis, Comte Berthollet (1748-1822) French chemist who assisted Lavoisier

The International Exhibition: Smith's power-loom for weaving tufted pile carpets, 1862. Creator: Unknown
The International Exhibition: Smith's power-loom for weaving tufted pile carpets, 1862. Loom for Axminster carpet, ...invented by Mr

The International Exhibition: Swiss jacquard-loom for weaving ribbons... 1862. Creator: Unknown
The International Exhibition: Swiss jacquard-loom for weaving ribbons - from a photograph by the London Stereoscopic Company, 1862

How to make calico from bread, 1919. Creator: Unknown artist
How to make calico from bread, 1919. Private Collection

Price increase in men's clothing in Sovdepien (White Guard poster), c.1919. Creator: Unknown artist
Price increase in men's clothing in Sovdepien (White Guard poster), c.1919. Private Collection

Cotton from India: a cotton convoy - night encampment under a banyan-tree, 1862. Creator: Unknown
Cotton from India: a cotton convoy proceeding from Rewah towards the Ganges - night encampment under a banyan-tree, 1862....a small convoy of solid wooden-wheeled carts, pad bullocks

Cotton from India: a cotton fleet descending the Ganges - casting off from Mirzapore, 1862. Creator: Smyth
Cotton from India: a cotton fleet descending the Ganges - casting off from Mirzapore early in the morning, 1862. Boats en route to...Calcutta, for the purpose of shipping the cotton to Europe

The Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures at Dublin, 1864. Creator: Unknown
The Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures and Industry at Dublin, 1864. View of the Agricultural Hall, Earlsfort Terrace. The central portion was divided from its smaller adjuncts by wooden

Festival at Hartford Mill, Oldham, given by Mr. Platt to 8000 of his workpeople, 1864. Creator: Unknown
Festival at Hartford Mill, Oldham, given by Mr. Platt to 8000 of his workpeople, 1864. In celebration of the attainment of his majority by Mr. Henry Platt, son of Mr

Woman on Veranda, Spinning... 18th century. Creator: Shunsho
Woman on Veranda, Spinning; another Pounding Cloth on Rock in Foreground, 18th century

Lucretia and her handmaids spinning, 1537-45. Creator: Antonio Fantuzzi
Lucretia and her handmaids spinning, 1537-45. [...Lucretia, before whose bed were baskets full of soft wool. By a dim light the handmaids were spinning their allotted stints of yarn

Cotton-Mills, Rideles Bank, 1872. Creator: Granville Perkins
Cotton-Mills, Rideles Bank, 1872. Industrial buildings for milling cotton on the Brandywine Creek, Delaware, USA. From " Picturesque America; or, The Land We Live In

Love Conquered Fear, c1840. Creator: Auguste Hervieu
Love Conquered Fear, c1840. Ragged child workers in a Victorian textile factory. British writer Frances Trollope visited Manchester in 1832 to witness the condition of children employed in

Tanned animal skins hanging to dry in the old tannery of Fez, Morocco

High angle view of man working at the vats of colours in the tannery of Fes, Morocco

Men working with skins in traditional Moroccan leather tanneries, Fes, Morocco

Textile factory JLP01_08_044897
PATONS AND BALDWINS KNITTING FACTORY, LINGFIELD CLOSE, DARLINGTON. Rows of spinning machinery in the spinning shed at Patons and Baldwins knitting factory

Factory construction JLPP01_08_001296
PATONS AND BALDWINS KNITTING FACTORY, LINGFIELD CLOSE, DARLINGTON. Laing workers fixing shuttering on the construction site of Patons and Baldwins knitting factory in Darlington

A banner reading Sales is seen on a clothing stores front window during the start of
A banner reading " Sales" is seen on a clothing stores front window during the start of winter sales in Strasbourg, France January 10, 2018. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

A patch of cotton that was left unharvested is seen near Wakita, Oklahoma, U.S. May 11, 2018. Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Nick Oxford

Assembled bags ready for delivery are on display at the Naples Florida factory of
Assembled bags ready for delivery are on display at the Naples, Florida factory of Korchmar, a family-owned business in Naples, Florida, U.S. February 13, 2018. Picture taken on February 13, 2018

A shop advertises winter sale in the centre of Vienna, Austria, February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader

Cotton left over from last years harvest is seen in a field near Wakita, Oklahoma, U.S. May 11, 2018. Picture taken May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Nick Oxford

A banner announces Sales on a clothing store front window during the start of winter
A banner announces " Sales" on a clothing store front window during the start of winter sales in Strasbourg, France January 10, 2018. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

The Flower Vendor, 1640. Creator: Paulus Bor
The Flower Vendor, 1640

The Spinners, c1900s. Creator: Lilly Segerdahl
The Spinners, c1900s

The Lace-Maker, 1885. Creator: Georg Pauli
The Lace-Maker, 1885

Merrimack River at Manchester, N.H. between 1900 and 1920. Creator: Unknown
Merrimack River at Manchester, N.H. between 1900 and 1920

Emblematic Group of Figures, by Mr. John Thomas, over the Principal Entrance of the Leeds... 1858. Creator: Unknown
Emblematic Group of Figures, by Mr. John Thomas, over the Principal Entrance of the Leeds Townhall, 1858. Bas-relief by...Mr. Thomas of London, the sculptor of the Houses of Parliament

Lady Hamilton, by George Romney, in the late exhibition of Old Masters, Burlington House, 1876. Creator: Unknown
Lady Hamilton, by George Romney, in the late exhibition of Old Masters, Burlington House, 1876. That too celebrated female beauty, Emma Lyons, a Welsh servant-girl

The Diligent Mother, mid-late 18th century. Creator: Workshop of Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin
The Diligent Mother, mid-late 18th century

Halcyon, Designed c.1888; printed c.1895. Creators: Charles Francis Annesley Voysey, G. P. and J. Baker, Ltd
Halcyon, Designed c.1888; printed c.1895

The late Mr. Evan Leigh, C.E. 1876. Creator: Unknown
The late Mr. Evan Leigh, C.E. 1876. British engineer and...author of some useful inventions for the improvement of the machinery of cotton manufacture...Another subject in which Mr

Whole Cloth Quilt with Pillar Print, c1830. Creator: Unknown
Whole Cloth Quilt with Pillar Print, c1830

Dyers Quarters, Kanda, 1857. Creator: Ando Hiroshige
Dyers Quarters, Kanda, 1857. From One Hundred Famous Views of Edo

Notes on Sericulture, 19th century. Creator: Utagawa Yoshitora
Notes on Sericulture, 19th century

Textile, Rose, Designed 1883. Creator: William Morris
Textile, Rose, Designed 1883

Women Stretching Silk (image 3 of 3), between circa 1797 and circa 1798. Creator: Kitagawa Utamaro
Women Stretching Silk (image 3 of 3), between circa 1797 and circa 1798

Edmund Buckley, Esq. of Manchester, 1860. Creator: Unknown
Edmund Buckley, Esq. of Manchester, 1860. British, businessman, MP and chief magistrate. Mr. Buckley was born in 1780...and was soon set to work in the cotton

Dyers, c1802. Creator: Hokusai
Dyers, c1802

La Suppression de L'Industrie Francaise; la destruction au Marteau des metiers du tissage... 1917. Creator: Unknown
La Suppression de L'Industrie Francaise; la destruction au Marteau des metiers du tissage cattelain, a Boussieres, en juin 1917, 1917

The leaders of the cloth industry (Saainering) in Amsterdam, 1643. Creator: Dirck Dircksz. Santvoort
The leaders of the cloth industry (Saainering) in Amsterdam, 1643

The Sampling Officials of the Amsterdam Drapers Guild, Known as ‘The Syndics, 1662
The Sampling Officials of the Amsterdam Drapers Guild, Known as The Syndics, 1662. Other Title(s): The sampling officials (wardens) of the Amsterdam drapers

Silk Culture in China: preparing raw silk, 1857. Creator: Unknown
Silk Culture in China: preparing raw silk, 1857. When the worms have cast their several skins...they are removed...preparatory to their spinning

Wool Making, 1651. Creator: Pieter Molijn
Wool Making, 1651

Woman spinning, 1652-1662. Creator: Nicolaes Maes
Woman spinning, 1652-1662. Alternative title: woman spinning, a reel on the wall

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The textile industry is a vibrant tapestry of history, innovation, and artistry. From the humble beginnings of the first sewing machine in 1846 to the intricate designs woven on looms by skilled artisans, this industry has shaped our world in countless ways. In 1857, Ando Hiroshige captured the essence of textile production with his depiction of the Dye House at Konya-cho in Kanda. The vibrant colors and meticulous craftsmanship showcased here are a testament to the dedication and skill required to create beautiful fabrics. Another glimpse into this world can be seen in Cotton Printing at Merton Abbey Works circa 1884. Though its creator remains unknown, their work speaks volumes about the precision and attention to detail that went into every piece produced at these renowned works. Carpet weaving was also an integral part of this industry, as shown by Hammersmith Carpet Weaving at Merton Abbey Works. The anonymous artist's portrayal transports us back to a time when handcrafted rugs adorned homes with their intricate patterns and luxurious textures. We cannot forget the role technology played in revolutionizing textile production. James Tingle's engraving depicts power looms on a cotton factory floor, showcasing how mechanization transformed manufacturing processes forever. Ando Hiroshige returns with Hatsune no Baba; Bakurocho circa 1857, offering yet another glimpse into Japan's rich textile heritage. This captivating artwork captures both tradition and progress as women weave delicate threads together on looms. Wool sorters were essential figures within this industry during c1880s - their expertise ensured only high-quality materials made it through for further processing. Their contribution cannot be overstated when considering woolen textiles' enduring popularity throughout history. Saltaire works from around 1880 showcases one of Britain's iconic mills where workers labored tirelessly to produce fine textiles that would adorn people's lives across continents. These grand establishments were hubs of creativity and industry, shaping the fabric of society.