See more objects with the tag sample, optical mixing, color blanket.

Object Timeline

-0001

1914

  • Work on this object began.

1924

  • Work on this object ended.

1938

  • We acquired this object.

2015

2017

2018

2025

  • You found it!

Textile (France)

This is a Textile. It is dated ca. 1919 and we acquired it in 1938. Its medium is silk and its technique is cut and voided supplementary warp pile (velvet) in a satin foundation. It is a part of the Textiles department.

The ability to alter the character of a pattern by changing just one of its component colors is called the “Bezold effect” after the theories of Wilhelm von Bezold. In this sample blanket, textile designer Herman Elsberg is experimenting with six different background colors and three color variations in the secondary leaf pattern: pale green, silver, and off-white.

This object was bequest of Unknown. It is credited Anonymous bequest in memory of Albert and Rebecca Elsberg.

Our curators have highlighted 5 objects that are related to this one. Here are three of them, selected at random:

Its dimensions are

H x W: 169.7 × 58.5 cm (5 ft. 6 13/16 in. × 23 1/16 in.)

It is inscribed

Labeled: "1367 Velours Faconné fd. Satin"

Cite this object as

Textile (France); silk; H x W: 169.7 × 58.5 cm (5 ft. 6 13/16 in. × 23 1/16 in.); Anonymous bequest in memory of Albert and Rebecca Elsberg; 1938-82-204-a

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Saturated: The Allure and Science of Color.

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

For higher resolution or commercial use contact ArtResource.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18354609/ |title=Textile (France) |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=7 February 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>