A history of textile art

From the Preface: This volume is a revised translation of my handbook Ur Textilkonstens Historia and surveys the world history of textiles from ancient times to the twentieth century. Much of my work has been done in the Scandinavian countries where textiles from all parts of the world have been particularly well preserved. In this same area there is also a living tradition of crafts and implements which has continued until recent times-a situation resulting from the fact that the Industrial Revolution, which obliterated most of the domestic crafts elsewhere in Western Europe, came very late to the less urbanized northern countries. In addition, most parts of Scandinavia have suffered less from the effects of war and revolution than the rest of Europe. Many European and Oriental textiles date from the medieval period and were once ecclesiastical property, while others, of earlier date, have come to light as a result of archaeological excavations. In Sweden, material of this kind comes under the supervision of the Central Council and Museum of National Antiquities (Riksantikvarieambetet and Historiska Museet) in Stockholm. The present handbook, first published in 1972, is based on a life's work in textiles within the latter institution. The book begins with basic technical data concerning materials, looms and weaves before going on to discuss problems relating to technical developments. This discussion in turn is an introduction to historical accounts of special topics such as silk manufacturing, knotted pile fabrics, dyeing and textile printing, and the textile trade. A chapter on textiles and textile crafts in Scandinavia places this important material in its European context for the first time ever. Parts of this material, and some of the idea put forward here, have previously been limited to a narrow circle of readership, if indeed they have been published at all.