Florence
Design c. 1890, made 1890–1917
Designed by John Henry Dearle (English, 1860–1932) Produced by Morris & Co., London (English, 1875–1940) Merton Abbey, London (English, 1881–1940)
England
Rather than velvet, this upholstery fabric is velveteen, the distinction being that the pile for velveteen is made from supplementary wefts (horizontal fibers), rather than supplementary warps (vertical or longitudinal fibers). Velveteen, often made of cotton, has a less dense pile than velvet and usually is cheaper to produce. Printed designs on velveteen, such as this one, reflect modern efforts to imitate the luxurious sensation of velvet pile while offering consumers a more durable and less costly alternative.
Cotton, twill weave with supplementary pile wefts forming cut solid 'velvet'; block printed