Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Looks at how textiles have changed during the past two hundred years and discusses taste and technical innovation.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

In this study of furnishing fabrics, the authors convincingly argue that textiles provide the means by which diverse sections of a community can participate in the ritual of decorating. Schoeser and Rufey consider changes in technology and social and economic trends, as well as the more elusive notion of taste, as they trace the development, design, and manufacture of interior fabrics. The historical overviews provide a general introduction to the field, but the authors have extended the study of furnishing fabrics to include the fashionable decorating themes of the middle and lower-middle classes. Primary source material includes etiquette books, department-store catalogs, and advertisements, in addition to the more familiar designer guidebooks, architectural treatises, and inventories. The beautiful illustrations that accompany the text carefully document the book's theme, i.e., that the design of the textile is always integrated into the dominant furnishing scheme. A glossary of textile production methods is included. Intended for interior designers and the home decorator, this volume would also provide interesting reading for students of textile history.