Artifact: Bombazine Gown (detail)
Materials: red silk warp, brown wool weft
Dimensions: Length: 147.0 cm
Date: 1770-1780
Origin: England
Collection: Victoria & Albert Museum
Ledger Entry: Bombazine
Department: Textile
Customer: Hugh West Jr.
Ledger Page: 83
Imported From: Bombazine was primarily produced in Spitalfields and Norwich.
Product Description
Bombazine is a combined fabric made of two types of thread: a silk warp and worsted weft. It was used for window dressings and clothing. It's lighter weight made it suitable for summer attire.
Citation: Florence M. Montgomery. Textiles in America, 1650-1870 : a Dictionary Based on Original Documents : Prints and Paintings, Commercial Records, American Merchants' Papers, Shopkeepers' Advertisements, and Pattern Books with Original Swatches of Cloth. (New York :Norton, 1984);
Historical Price: 3 shillings per yard; Modern USD: $33.6
Product Variations
The databases record only two purchases of bombazine. While there is no indication of quality, one cusomer paid only three shillings a yard for bombazine, another paid three shillings four pence per yard.
