The Zucchi Collection

Today's site of interest is The Zucchi Collection, home to 56,000 printing blocks used to produce handprinted fabric over the course of three centuries from 1785 to 1935. Shown at the top left is one of four 19th-century English wood handblocks needed to create the print on the right. Featured categories of blocks encompass geometric, floral, ornamental, pictorial and abstract designs, as well as styles carved for cashmere. Subcategories deal with fabric borders and blocks made for specific cloth pieces such as ties, bandanas, and scarves.

Due to its efforts to preserve these blocks, the Collection received a 1997 Guggenheim award for outstanding cultural project.

[Photo by Henry Wilson as seen in Selvedge, issue 24.]

The teak block above is not part of The Zucchi Collection but belongs to Toy and Joy Singh. (I just love the image.)