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Object Timeline

1950

  • Work on this object began.

1960

  • Work on this object ended.

1968

  • We acquired this object.

2006

2024

  • You found it!

Manufacturer's Color Blanket (USA)

This is a Manufacturer's color blanket. It is dated ca. 1955 and we acquired it in 1968. Its medium is synthetic and its technique is plain weave with weft floats. It is a part of the Textiles department.

A color blanket is a tool used by textile designers in the development and selection of a color palette. This blanket, woven by Craftex Mills, crosses six different warp configurations with twenty-three different weft configurations—each predominantly one color, but containing elements of accent colors as well. The result is 138 rich, tweedy, multi-colored options, each represented by one square in the blanket. The design team at Patterson Fabrics would normally have cut the blanket apart, selecting the individual color combinations they wanted to include in their collection. Typically six to twelve colorways would be put into production and offered to buyers. Luckily, this blanket remains intact as an important demonstration of process in color development.

This object was donated by Harvey Smith. It is credited Gift of Harvey Smith.

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Its dimensions are

H x W: 650.2 × 125.7 cm (21 ft. 4 in. × 49 1/2 in.)

Cite this object as

Manufacturer's Color Blanket (USA); synthetic; H x W: 650.2 × 125.7 cm (21 ft. 4 in. × 49 1/2 in.); Gift of Harvey Smith; 1968-135-76

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<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18464273/ |title=Manufacturer's Color Blanket (USA) |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=25 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>