Artifact: Quilt fragment
Materials: Persian backing, silk cord front
Dimensions: 37" w x 90" l
Date: 1600-1650
Origin: Mediterranean, possibly Chios
Collection: Image Courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
License: All rights reserved
Ledger Entry: Persian
Department: Textile
Customer: Thomas Hilliard
Ledger Page: 224
Imported From: Persian was initially imported from Persia, though English tradesmen later began creating similar weights also labeled as Persian
Product Description
Persian is a type of thin silk. Since this fabric was typically used as a lining fabric for clothing and bedding it was unornamented.
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), 321-322.;
Historical Price: 2 shillings, 3 pence per yard; Modern USD: $25.2
Product Variations
The databases record sixteen purchases of Persian. Of these, seven are identified as English Persian, suggesting that they were imitations of the type of silk imported from Persia. The prices range from eighteen to nineteen shillings eleven pence per yard.
