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Jacquard was not the only inventor to see the usefulness of the least half the job. This increased production of textiles with highly
punch card for controlling machines. In 1890, Herman Hollerith intricate and complicated patterns, which generated great profits.
utilized the punch card system to program the movements of a
calculating machine he built. His successful company would later Tapestry Illustrating
become known as International Business Machines or IBM.
J.M. Jacquard’s machine had punch cards stitched together in a History
chain to present them to the loom one at a time. Control rods were As the talents of weavers
then either pushed through the holes in the card or stopped by the lack progressed in the early years,
of a hole, leaving them in place. The stopped rods were then lifted up, their handiwork also pro-
raising specific warp heddles and the strings attached to them. (Warp gressed into works of art:
strings run up and down on a vertical loom, like longitude lines; the Persian rugs, Navajo chiefs’
weft is side to side, like latitude.) To get a better understanding of this blankets, medieval tapestries,
process, search on YouTube: “How was it made: Jacquard weaving.” Peruvian textiles, and more.
During the Middle
A circa 1870 classic Navajo Woman's Manta, Ages, collecting outstanding
sold at Heritage Auctions for $31,070. tapestries became popular
It measures 41 by 53 1/2 inches and features among the nobility. The skill
two bands of Spider Woman crosses set against and artistry of those medieval
a red background, a brown center, and indigo weavers cannot be denied.
blue end zones.
They created intricate, color-
photo: Heritage Auctions, HA.com.
ful, and sometimes gigantic
pictures or designs in tapestry. Kings, aristocrats, and church leaders
who could afford such luxurious textiles paid handsomely to have their
conquests in battle and in life to be woven into historical records.
The use of tapestries in castles, churches, and manor houses most
probably began as insulation from the cold. Soon, some medieval
interior designers realized hanging tapestries on walls could be both
functional and artistic at the same time.
Tapestries were also excellent media for exhibition; they could be
rolled up, moved, and displayed at festivals, celebrations, royal
weddings, affairs of state, and when visiting other kings and nobility.
Imagine trying to transport a life-size, rigid masterpiece on canvas to a
neighboring kingdom on horseback or by wagon without damaging it?
The punch cards pictured (right) are ready to program a Jacquard loom and control
Shudder the thought.
how the mass of yarn threads (left) are woven. photo: National Museum of Scotland
The Royal Collection
Each punch card controlled the work on one row at a time and wove Trust website (RCT.uk)
the design into the material as it was made. Imagine the number of records: “For many cen-
punch cards needed to weave a finely designed tablecloth or bolt of turies, tapestries were the
cloth. In the accompanying photo, 24,000 punch cards were used to primary decorative form at
weave the portrait of J.M. Jacquard in silk. the royal court, far exceeding
The whole process of paintings or other works of
setting up and operating a art in status and expense.
Jacquard loom may seem Their acquisition and use
like a Herculean effort, are closely linked to the
and it was. Weavers know history of court spectacle
how tedious it is to and to the furnishing of the
restring each heddle on a royal residences. … Over
regular loom to set it up 2,450 tapestry wall hang-
for weaving (and for those ings were listed in
who want an overview of the inventory taken after
the loom, visit YouTube Henry VIII's death in 1547,
for a variety of demon- and when they were valued
strations, including one for sale during the Civil
called Weaving on Mount War, many were priced at
Vernon's 18th Century A painting of The Family of Henry VIII with thousands of pounds – far
Loom, a fascinating look (l-r) Prince Edward, Henry VIII, and Jane more than any other item in
at historic weaving). Seymour, all posed beneath one of the king’s the collection."
Comparatively, that was many tapestries, ca. 1545. Elizabeth I displayed her
almost child’s play com- tapestries when receiving
pared with setting up a foreign dignitaries, as did most royals, to impress their visitors and cre-
Jacquard loom. First, a ate a “… majestic atmosphere suited to royal activity,” according to the
machine like a typewriter Royal Collection Trust.
was used by a highly expe- Tapestry art was also used to teach Bible stories and religious values
rienced designer to punch in churches and elsewhere. George Washington Vanderbilt II’s
holes in code into hun- Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, has a tapestry gallery that
A portrait of Joseph Marie Jacquard woven dreds or thousands of includes three masterpieces from The Triumph of the Seven Virtues
in silk using 24,000 punch cards in a cards to create the design. collection. As Biltmore.com states, the tapestries were created in
Jacquard loom in 1839. Next, the cards were 1525-1535 by unknown weavers in Flanders (now Belgium). The
chain stitched together. Then, the cards were attached to the loom. tapestries depict a complex multitude of people, animals, and scenes
Despite the great effort required to set up and run them, symbolically representing the virtues of faith, charity, temperance,
Jacquard looms streamlined the work of the weaver and mechanized at prudence, fortitude, chastity, and justice.
continued on page 19

16 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles