FROM THE ARCHIVE: THE LURE OF WHITE LINEN
Written by Amanda Vickery (Selvedge issue 39)
Imagine a sweet-smelling cupboard stacked with crisp linens – sheets, pillow cases, napkins, towels, shirts and shifts. All are snowy white, fragrant with lavender and crackle with starch. One glance inside such a cupboard, one sniff of the atmosphere, would tell an observer that this was a moral and healthy house with a virtuous housekeeper at the helm. The linen cupboard was a great symbol of the standing, decency and wholesomeness of the 17th and 18th century house..............................
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We are proud to be a subscriber-funded publication with members in 185 countries. Your support allows us to publish interviews, reviews, ‘what's on’ information and long-read articles that we share online. We know our readership is passionate about textiles and so we invite you to help us preserve and promote the stories, memories and histories that cloth tells. To continue reading….
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*Please note that existing subscribers do not need to subscribe - subscribers get free access to all of our online content. We send the access code to existing subscribers to access the Selvedge online content by email with the publication of each issue. You will also find it on the envelope containing your magazine. Please note the access code changes every issue.*
Imagine a sweet-smelling cupboard stacked with crisp linens – sheets, pillow cases, napkins, towels, shirts and shifts. All are snowy white, fragrant with lavender and crackle with starch. One glance inside such a cupboard, one sniff of the atmosphere, would tell an observer that this was a moral and healthy house with a virtuous housekeeper at the helm. The linen cupboard was a great symbol of the standing, decency and wholesomeness of the 17th and 18th century house..............................
Want to read more?
We are proud to be a subscriber-funded publication with members in 185 countries. Your support allows us to publish interviews, reviews, ‘what's on’ information and long-read articles that we share online. We know our readership is passionate about textiles and so we invite you to help us preserve and promote the stories, memories and histories that cloth tells. To continue reading….
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER, CLICK HERE TO ACCESS CONTENT
*Please note that existing subscribers do not need to subscribe - subscribers get free access to all of our online content. We send the access code to existing subscribers to access the Selvedge online content by email with the publication of each issue. You will also find it on the envelope containing your magazine. Please note the access code changes every issue.*