Friday, September 28, 2007

Mrs. Farnham's Catalogue of Stamping Patterns


Here is another great resource for Victorian embroidery motifs. Deborah Harding (author of Red and White: American Redwork Quilts and Patterns) and the Michigan Museum has made this ca. 1886 catalog available on cd or b/w copy book. The official title of this catalogue is:

Catalogue of Stamping Patterns Embracing All of the Latest and Choicest Designs Used in Connection with the Illustrated Catalogue “Home Beautiful,” A Treatise of Decorative Art Needlework and Embroidery Materials

by Mrs. T.G. Farnham

Quite a mouthful. You can order the cd via their web site at: https://secure.museum.msu.edu/MTAPStore/sku.asp?time=733&sku=CD0001

This catalog has hundreds of motifs. I haven't done a full check on them, but they are very similar to the Briggs, Ingalls and Bentley catalogs. The catalog is for perforated stamping patterns (so are Ingalls and Bentley's). Only the Briggs are hot-iron transfer patterns.

I have an original copy of Mrs. Farnham's price list - which is a pre-cursor to the illustrated catalog. It is mostly just a listing of the motifs, along with the price. There are only a few illustrations in this booklet.

Home Beautiful. A Descriptive Catalogue of Art Needle Work; with Illustrated Designs and Prices, by Mrs. T.G. Farnham, New York, c. 1884

4 comments:

Louise said...

Added image of the catalog with permission from Museum.

Marcie Engel said...

do you have another web address where there book can be ordered? this link does not work. Thanks!

Louise said...

Marcie, I poked around the museum web site, looks like you have to go to the MTAP Store (Michigan Traditional Arts Program Store.

There is a button for it on this page: (currently in the top position, with a quilt image on it)

http://museum.msu.edu/?q=visitorinfo

Items 073 and 074 are the catalogs - one is the CD and the other is a photocopy (not sure which is which)

073 Catalogue of Stamping Patterns Embracing All..
$45.00

074 Catalogue of Stamping Patterns Embracing All..
$21.00

I hope this helps you out. Cheers, Louise

Louise said...

Marcie - just found a pdf file the has item images and descriptions of the Farnham Home Beautiful catalog at: (Item 73 is the book and 74 the CD)

http://museum.msu.edu/GeneralInformation/MTAP_BOOKS/mtap.pdf

Cheers, Louise