Salesman's Sample
1780-1810
Probably France, Lyon
France
The survival of thousands of small embroidery samples for men’s suits and coats indicates the scope and scale of the Lyonnaise embroidery workshops specializing in men’s fashion. Patterns were marketed both domestically in France and throughout Europe. Indeed, French taste so dominated European fashion that when foreign diplomats came to France, they felt obliged to buy the latest styles in Paris before they appeared at court.
Silk, plain weave with supplementary patterning warps and supplementary patterning wefts; appliquéd with silk, plain weave; embroidered with silk floss and yarns in outline, satin, padded satin, single satin and stem stitches; French knots