Traces of callimanco in Estonia: purchased worsted striped fabrics from the late 18th to early 19th centuries

Abstract

Estonia has a rich textile heritage, with large collections preserved in the museums. This study focuses on historical callimanco fabric samples or swatches from the 18th and first quarter of 19th centuries. While the iconic striped skirt of folk costume has become a symbol of Estonian identity, a subset of professionally crafted fabric in skirts and bodices has been overlooked in scholarly investigations.

The research explores potential links between striped fabric samples found in international 18th and 19th-century pattern books and the striped skirts and bodices integral to Estonian folk costumes. While foreign studies, such as Dr Michael Nix’s examination of the Norwich fabric industry, shed light on fabric trade routes, no clear connection to Estonia’s museum collections has been established.

This article aims to bridge these gaps by analysing items in Estonian museums, focusing on potential connections with callimancoes manufactured in Norwich, England. The study is crucial, given the lack of comprehensive research on this topic since Aino Voolmaa’s 1971 footnote on kamlott and Eevi Astel’s 1998 belt book adopting the term. By employing technological-comparative analysis, the study examines each individual artefacts’ technological aspects, weaving density, fabric width, yarn twists, and surface gloss. Microscopic analysis aids in identifying fibre materials, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the fabrics. The article closes with a comparison of stripe patterns in Estonian museum fabrics and those in foreign fabric sample-books and concludes that these fabrics indeed came from Norwich, England.

Keywords: historical wool and worsted fabrics, stuff, callimanco, Norwich, historical striped skirts, traditional clothing, kamlott, kalmink