Vintage - Paper-backed wall coverings by Pirat and Moire

In the early 14^th century silk was a hugely popular choice of fabric, while many European countries participated in its production, nowhere was quite like the silk industry in France, or more specifically Lyon. In 1446 King Louis the XI decided to develop a national silk industry in Lyon however the Lyonnais people protested so strongly against this that the industry was moved to Tours. This didn't last for long as in 1540 King Francis I granted the city of Lyon a monopoly on the industry and by the early 1600’s Lyon was the European leader in silk production.

An original Pirat paper-backed wallcovering fabric available in Martin-Hudson &Gibson

The industry was vast and encompassed all areas such as silkworm agriculture, spinning, dyeing, weaving, and textile design. By the mid 17^th century over 15,000 people were employed in the silk industry giving Lyon the highest concentration of workers in France at that time. There was an astonishing 14,000 looms in operation and the industry fed over a third of the city’s population alone.

During the industrial revolution it was uncertain whether the silk industry would survive in Lyon, but through the introduction of new machines such as the Jacquard loom the industry began to prosper once more. During the following years new fabrics types were developed including; bayadère, rep, taffeta, velour, cannelé, and gros de Tours.

Weave diagrams were highly technical in the nature so much so that up until 1920 they had remained relatively unchanged since the introduction of the Jacques loom, which had introduced the punch card diagram system. It was this system that led to the development of the first mechanical calculator and then to the modern computers.

Teal water silk (paper-backed) Moire wallcovering

A close up of a Pirat wallcovering

Martin-Hudson & Gibson have two beautiful paper-backed vintage wall covering fabrics in store today, the first designed by the very famous 'Pirat' company and the second by the equally famous 'Moire' company are at least a quarter of a century old and in excellent condition.

By Emma Lowe