A Dyer's Sample Book: Beautifully Rendered Patterns

early twentieth century
when closed: 6" x 8 1/4" x 3/4", 15.25 cm x 21 cm x 2 cm

This is a substantially-sized beautiful, old dyer's sample book that seems to have come from a studio that created cloth for theater costumes. It is comprised of 10 pages which hold 80 individual swatches.

The two covers are of heavier stock than the pages and a traditional binding is used to create the book.

Each of the pages shows a set of four patterns, all vibrant in color and design. As this is an old sample book you will see wear to the pages and some damage from worm holes, which is common in these kinds of sample books since rice paste was used to glue the swatches to the page.

It is such a joy to leaf through this book to enjoy the variety of colors and patterns as they appear in random order: it is a delight and an inspiration.

Recommended.