Artifact: Nankeen Breeches
Materials: Nankeen cotton
Dimensions: Waist: approx. 26 1/2"; OL: 27"
Date: 1785-1815
Origin: Philadelphia
Collection: Image Courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
License: All rights reserved
Ledger Entry: Nankeen
Department: Textile
Customer: Jemima Minor
Ledger Page: 279
Imported From: Originally imported from Nankin China.
Product Description
Originally spun from a variety of cotton plant which was naturally yellow, later variations of nankeen were sometimes dyed to fit the part, though white, blue, and black nankeens are also recorded. Nankeen was primarily used for clothing.
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), 308.;
Historical Price: 4 shillings, 6 pence per yard; Modern USD: $50.4
Product Variations
The databases record only one purchase of nankeen check which sold for four shillings six pence.
