Coventry Town Ribbon

Although in the style of a traditional dress or bonnet ribbon, this silk ribbon was woven to demonstrate the technical skills of the manufacturer rather than for actual use. The minute detail and realism of the floral design made this a veritable tour de force of jacquard weaving, fully exploiting the potential of the process.

The Coventry manufacturer of the ribbon is not known, but it is said to have been designed by M. Clack, a pupil of Coventry School of Art, and the pattern drafted (transferred on to a working technical graph, or point paper) by R. Barton. Its successful appearance at the Great Exhibition of 1851 was a great honour for Coventry, which had a large and successful local industry famous for woven silk ribbons, trimmings, small pictures, bookmarks and other keepsakes.

This ribbon was selected for illustration in the Art Journal Illustrated Catalogue of the Great Exhibition (page 13).