Orpiment Orange, Charleston Blue & White Furniture Check Linen
Linen cloth, such as this Orpiment Orange, Charleston Blue & White Furniture Check Linen, was woven of flax fiber in many grades and weaves. Used in every aspect of living, from clothing, to household needs, to furnishings, to the shroud made for the corpse, linen was so common that a tax was proposed as a source of easy revenue on the coarser sorts being imported into the US towards the end of the 18th century.
In the 18th century, the term "checked" referred to woven or printed patterns that intersected at right angles. Checked linens were used for a variety of purposes, including aprons, shirts, children’s clothing, trousers, and linings, and household items such as toweling, bed hangings, and chair coverings.
The color combination and style of this Orpiment Orange, Charleston Blue & White Furniture Check Linen is not one we have seen in our research of linen checks, therefore we feel it would be better suited to an 1840's onwards project.
