THE MANUFACTURE OF

EMBROIDERED SILK POSTCARDS

The information in this article is the latest research on the manufacture of embroidered silk postcards and is © Ian Collins 2021.

There are many popular misconceptions about the manufacture of embroidered silk postcards, especially how the embroidered panels were made. It is still widely believed that they were embroidered by soldiers in the trenches of the Western Front in France. I still see references to this whenever silk postcards are mentioned in the popular press. How anyone could imagine that such delicate miniature works of art in embroidery could be undertaken in the filth of the trenches, is beyond belief.

Another myth is that French peasant women embroidered the panels by hand to augment the meagre wages of their menfolk serving in the French army during the war. The remarkable consistency of the embroidered panels and the incredible number produced indicates that this is also wrong.

These factors were in my mind when I wrote my book: An Illustrated History of the Embroidered Silk Postcard, but this was in the age before the internet provided access to wider knowledge. I had no information on the manufacturing techniques used to make the cards or the embroidered panels.

I took my reference from a earlier publications on silk postcards by Chris Radley and John Westland, who never considered the possibility of machine embroidery and believed that the silk panels were embroidered by hand. In my book, I said: “The panels were embroidered at home by female members of peasant families, to augment their meagre incomes … the embroidery was worked by hand with the fabric stretched over a simple wooden frame, by 1915 machine embroidery had been introduced, though hand embroidery still predominated.”

I now know this statement to be wrong. I never felt happy that the majority of silk postcards could be made from panels embroidered by hand. It did not seem possible that hand embroiderers could produce such a quantity and variety of designs, in such consistent quality. My research now clearly shows that the silk panels were not embroidered by hand, but were made on machines in factories, or as a cottage industry. The different effects produced in the embroidery depended on the type of machine used.

The History of Machine Embroidery

Josué Heilmann of Mulhouse in France invented the earliest embroidery machine in 1828. He called it the “hand-embroidery machine” because the final product was as good as any made by hand. The French term for the machines was "broder a main" and this nomenclature was in use throughout the period of embroidered silk postcards. Consequently, the confusion of hand and machine embroidery was introduced from the beginning.

The first machine had the capacity of four traditional embroiderers working by hand. It is important to realise that this was 18 years before Elias Howe patented the first functional sewing machine in 1846, and it was the 1850s before Isaac Singer produced the first commercially viable sewing machine.

The Heilmann embroidery machine consisted of a frame to hold the fabric, a needle assembly and a handle to crank the needle. A major aspect of the invention was in the design of the needle: it had a point at each end and an eye in the middle, through which the thread was passed. It was operated by moving the fabric to meet the fixed needle and a small clamp on each side of the fabric controlled the needle. The needle was held in one clamp, pushed into the fabric, picked up by the opposite clamp and drawn through. The frame holding the fabric was moved and the needle passed back. The process allowed stitching in any direction, and continued until the pattern was complete. It only allowed one colour of thread to be used at a time, so additional colours had to be introduced by rethreading the needle with the next colour and repeating the process.

The machine was considered to be such a threat to traditional hand embroiderers that Heilmann agreed to sell only two in Switzerland, and he never made a commercial success from his invention. Henry Houldsworth of Manchester, England purchased the patent rights in 1829. At the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace of 1851, his company displayed “specimens of patent machine embroideries”, which were multicoloured and on a variety of fabrics.

By about 1850, Franz Vogler from St. Gallen in Switzerland had improved the machine. Although it is not known what these improvements were precisely, they involved developing the concepts of the Heilmann machine. The first embroidery factory was established in St Gallen in 1854 and, before long, 120 of the improved machines were in operation. By about 1870, the machine incorporated multiple needles to carry different coloured threads, and was fitted with a pantograph to replicate the design. At this time, 14 companies were manufacturing hand-embroidery machines in the St Gallen region.

The machine was still called the "hand-embroidery machine". Embroidery made on it was more even and consistent than traditional hand-made embroidery, and the quality was unsurpassed. This is probably another reason why earlier researchers into embroidery on silk postcards believed the silk panels were embroidered by hand. The name of “hand-embroidery machine” was unfortunate and, throughout this article, I always use inverted commas and italics to remind readers that there was no semblance of embroidery by hand during the manufacture of embroidered silk panels for postcards.

A "hand-embroidery machine" installed in a factory in Calais in about 1905, taken from a contemporary postcard. By this date, it had grown into a huge piece of machinery. Other photographs in the same series show it was one of a number in a large factory and others can be seen in the background. By this time, France was becoming the pre-eminent country for machine-made embroideries. There was still production in Switzerland around the St Gallen area, but not on the same scale, although the area was important for the manufacture of the machines. The "hand-embroidery machine" was available in four, five and six metre widths. The smaller ones could fit into a large room in a house and employ a whole family in a "cottage" industry.

The embroiderer sat on the left operated the machine. His left hand guided the pantograph, moving it around the enlarged design following individual stitches, and positioning the fabric in front of the needles. He used his right hand to crank the wheel on the end of the machine and push the needles through the fabric, whilst opening and closing the clamps holding the needles with his feet. It must have taken a lot of concentration.

The female assistant checked that the needles and threads worked properly, rethreaded the needles when the thread ran out, and repaired broken threads as the machine went along. Notice the continuous line of spools of silk thread at her waist level and near the bottom. These feed into two rolls of backing material to double the production run. The thread from each spool was connected to a needle, which indicates how many needles were on the machine. Postcards with up to 12 different colours have been seen that were made on a machine like this, although 6-8 is more usual.

The embroidery could be carried out in the horizontal or vertical plane. It didn't matter to the embroiderer as long as he followed the exact pattern of stitches on the enlarged design. The design could be changed in the middle of a run, a new one set up and the run continued using the same threads (see the illustration below). If the paper pattern used on the pantograph was incorrect, any mistakes would be duplicated by the embroiderer. This accounts for spelling mistakes on silk postcards which are reproduced wrongly every time.

The end product was a continuous stream of identical designs embroidered onto a backing fabric as wide as the machine which, in this case, appears to be the large six metre machine. The embroidered design created and the space between them takes up 8 cm. so a six metre width would give 750 individual designs, and this is multiplied by two. The length was determined by the number of embroidered panels required and the length of the roll of backing fabric. It seems clear that many thousands of individual designs were made in a single run, which gives an idea how many postcards were created from that run.

It appears that the "hand-embroidery machine" dominated production of embroidered pieces in the mid to late 19th century. At this time, the embroidered articles were mainly produced to embellish items of clothing, table and bed linens, etc. The embroidered silk postcard was not even conceived this early. Meanwhile, other developments were taking place which would eventually supersede the "hand-embroidery machine".

In 1863, Isaac Groebli of Oberuzwil, Switzerland, invented a different type of embroidery machine. It worked on the same principle as a sewing machine, with a normal needle and two threads for each needle, one of which was picked up from a shuttle behind the fabric. It was named the Schiffli machine, from the small boat-shaped shuttle that produced the backing stitch (German: Schiff – boat). The machine needed years of development before it became commercially viable. Its design initially borrowed the hand crank and pantograph from the hand-embroidery machine and it could also stitch in any direction.

The automatic Schiffli embroidery machine was invented in 1898 by Isaac Groebli's eldest son. This dispensed with the pantograph and incorporated a Jacquard system of punched cards to create the design. By 1900, it was fitted with 312 needles, and electrically driven machines were becoming available. These machines were so massive they were only suited for factory use.

By about 1900, St Gallen in Switzerland and Plauen in Saxony, Germany were the two main centres for the manufacture of embroidery machines of both types. There was also manufacture of embroidered goods in their vicinities and, in 1906, Plauen described itself as “the capital city of the embroidery industry”, although it is clear that, by this time, France had become the major supplier of embroidered goods.

This is a Schiffli embroidery machine from about 1905. It has been fitted with a Jacquard punched card system on the left hand side, to replace the pantograph. It looks as if this machine is fully automated and is probably run by electricity. It needed several people to run and maintain, not the one man shown. No doubt continual changes were made to the machines over the years. This machine has a higher capacity, and was probably state-of-the-art at the time. It is 15 yards wide (nearly 14 metres) which is about twice as long as the largest "hand-embroidery machine" and was much faster to run with electricity. This extra size allowed it to produce about 1700 embroidered panels across, doubled for the second reel of backing material.

The silk panels made on this machine had up to 6 colours, although 3-4 colours was more common, which is less than the "hand-embroidery machine". The stitches are also less delicate, which gives the embroidery a distinct look, although some of them are particularly attractive. The embroidery also has a backing stitch, usually of colourless cotton, which is easy to spot by turning over the flap of an envelope-front embroidered silk postcard.

The vast majority of embroidered silk postcards made from silk panels from a Schiffli machine were greetings cards. They became available during 1915 and large numbers were made. It appears that Schiffli machines were only used for embroidered silk postcard panels when it was evident that the cards were selling in quantity. This probably reflects the more expensive set-up costs for the larger automatic Schiffli machines, and indicates longer production runs than the hand-embroidery machine. Even so, Schiffli production accounted for only about 22% of the total of embroidered silk greetings postcards made in the First World War period.

By 1900, hand embroidery had almost been replaced by machined embroidery, except for very expensive and individual articles of clothing. Embroidery factories became large and fully integrated. They took in the raw silk at one end and sent out the finished articles at the other.

An extract from a contemporary article describes the beginning of the process:

"A great deal of the raw silk we get does not come to us in skeins. It comes in bales made up of cocoons, the threads of which have been broken, and of loose threads. The cocoons have to be boiled in soapy water to do away with the gum that holds the tiny threads together. They are then dried in drums.

These washed cocoons pass then to the dressing mill where they are ripped open by rollers set full of sharp teeth. The silk fibres are thus pulled apart in great sheets called laps. The laps are then run through a picking machine. This machine draws the threads out still more and cuts the laps into short lengths. Then follows more cleaning and drawing... ..."

The picture on this postcard shows the dye house in the Calais factory illustrated above and also dates from about 1905. Dyeing the raw silk was part of the process and it looks fairly basic: immersing skeins of silk in vats of dyestuff of different colours, washing off the excess colour, and drying them - before returning them to the factory to be spun, ready for embroidery.

The picture on this postcard comes from the same Calais factory as those above and is also dated from about 1905. It shows workers preparing the backing fabric on which the embroidery will be stitched, which is called tulle (translated as netting). This is usually colourless, although some embroidered silk postcards are known with a beige, pink or pale blue background fabric, especially in cards manufactured before 1914.

Notice how the material is so thin it is almost transparent. Backing fabrics were pure silk, organdie (the finest cotton), and a mixture of cotton and silk (one in the weft, the other in the warp of the fabric). Pure silk is not common in silk postcards, probably because it was expensive, organdie or the silk/cotton mix are more often used. Once stretched and flattened, the backing material was wound onto a large reel, ready to be mounted onto the embroidery machine. It must be noted that the embroidery was always done with silk thread.

A view inside the Design Department of the same Calais embroidery factory, also from about 1905. The senior man on the right is posing in front of a book of designs and there are over 150 other books in the rack behind them, each with many pages, and probably many designs on each page.

It has often been wondered where and how the designs for embroidered silk postcards came about. It must have been in rooms such as this where they translated the military badges, patriotic messages and sentimental greetings into designs that would work within the confines of industrial embroidery. It probably explains why there were so many designs available to collect: each factory had a place like this, working independently, putting their own individual creativity into the product.

The finishing room in the Calais factory, again from about 1905. The women are inspecting where the completed embroideries in detail, making minor repairs to any imperfections. I assume these ladies worked in more space and they have just been lined up for the photograph.

As far as I am aware, no picture exists showing women making up embroidered silk postcards: by sticking the embroidered panel onto to card and adding the embossed frame to finish off the product. It is easy to imagine a similar scene to this picture where embroidered silk postcards could have been made.

The individual silk panels were cut out by hand, mounted on card, and the frame glued on to hold everything together. It is likely that this was allowed to dry in a press as the edges tend to curl when wet with glue. Anyone who has tried to reframe a silk panel will know just how difficult it is to get everything stuck together and centred properly. It is hard to imagine the patience and attention to detail required to do this every day, all day, as a full time job. Sometimes, the old gum is visible from the front of the final product.

A set of uncut embroidered panels which never became postcards. These come up for sale occasionally and sheets as wide as 400 designs have been seen. The orientation of the embroidered panels on this set shows that a different design continued on from another and, in the process, it was changed from vertical to horizontal (or vice versa). This proves that the embroiderer just followed the pattern on the enlarged design.

Most machine-made embroidery was intended to embellish garments and decorative fabrics. Embroidered silk postcards were only a minor product before the First World War. The embroidered panels for most silk postcards were made on either the "hand-embroidery machine" or the Schiffli machine. In 1914, the men were called up to the army and women tended to take over the jobs previously done by men. The sales of embroidered silk postcards provided a useful addition to the production of embroidery factories.

The equivalent of the “hand-embroidery machine” no longer exists, although a few machines are known to have survived. One has been restored and installed in an embroidery factory in Cordes sur Ciel, near Toulouse in France. It is claimed to be the only operating "hand-embroidery machine" in France, and demonstrations are held during the summer months. The machine was recovered from a local cottage, where it occupied the whole of the largest downstairs room, and there were once over 300 machines in use in the village.

Machines based on the Schiffli principle now dominate modern embroidery, except now they are fully automatic and computer controlled, and are capable of producing masses of the same design at a time.

The above illustrations are from a trade card of about 1910 from the Charles Bleidorn company in Arbon, Switzerland, on Lake Constance in the Thurgau Canton. This is less than ten miles from St. Gallen, a major centre of embroidery, and in the region where embroidered silk postcards were first manufactured in the early twentieth century.

The card describes the company as "Metiers a Broder a Main", which roughly translates as being in the business of making hand-embroidery machines. They offer 4, 5 and 6 metre long machines "pour tout genre de coton ou soie" (for all types of cotton or silk).

The illustration is stamped "MEDAILLE D'OR. Exposition Internationale Milan 1905". This dates the machine precisely and shows that the pantograph was still in general use at this date. There is no handle on the side for the embroiderer to turn, so it is likely that this machine was powered by electricity.

An undated trade card from about 1910 for Schweizer & Co. Lucerne, Switzerland. Interestingly, it is in English, so it must have been aimed at trade in Britain, The British Empire and Dominions, and the United States. It describes the company as "Exporters of Swiss Silks & Swiss Embroideries", which are "sent into any country". It also describes the table linen and ladies underwear as "hand embroidered". This can only mean that the embroidery was done on the "hand-embroidery machine", especially as one is illustrated above the caption. Clearly, machine-made embroidered products were being promoted as hand-made, and it is understandable that collectors of embroidered silk postcards believed that the silk panels were made by hand.

EXAMPLE OF AN EMBROIDERED SILK POSTCARD MADE ON THE HAND-EMBROIDERY MACHINE

The silk panel on this postcard was made on the "hand-embroidery machine". Notice the complexity of the design from six colours and that the embroidery runs in all directions. The reverse stitch has been used to good effect as the background to the lettering in the caption. This was a technique used to add interest to the design.

Almost all of the postcards with military, naval, air force, portrait, named places, and better designed patriotic and sentimental subjects were made on the "hand-embroidery machine". It offered a more flexible technique and could handle complex patterns easier because the design was controlled by the embroiderer with the pantograph.

Embroidered silk postcards made using this machine were available from the early years of the twentieth century. Without the First World War, embroidered silk postcards would have probably remained an expensive novelty item and never been produced in such large quantities. With their bright colours and patriotic themes, they caught the mood of the times. In 1914, it was the right product, in the right place, at the right time. British soldiers in the Expeditionary Force were not the most articulate or literate. It seems that the cards made it easy for them to express their message and sentiment, which was contained in the card itself.

There is evidence that individuals could take their own design to a publisher and have it made up into a silk postcard. I have a rare Canadian Battalion card in my collection with the following message on the back: “The fellow, one of our boys that designed this, was killed before they got back from England so he never saw the finished article”. This possibly explains why some small units had postcards made for them but others didn’t.

EXAMPLE OF AN EMBROIDERED SILK POSTCARD MADE ON THE SCHIFFLI MACHINE

The vast majority of cards made on a Schiffli machine were simple greetings cards such as the one shown above. It is an excellent illustration of how just three colours can produce a beautiful card. The stitches made by a Schiffli machine tend to be larger and thicker, and the backing material is slightly coarser. If you look carefully, you can see that the green varies in shade. This was technique used to add interest to the design and involved partially dyeing the embroidered silk when in the skein (before being rolled onto a bobbin).

These cards became available during 1915 and they were made in large numbers. So it was only when it was evident that embroidered silk postcards were selling in quantity that Schiffli designs appeared. This probably reflects the more expensive set-up costs for the automatic Schiffli machine with its larger size and Jacquard punched card system, and indicates longer production runs than the "hand-embroidery machine". Even so, Schiffli production accounted for only about 22% of the total of embroidered silk greetings postcards made in the First World War period.

THE CORNELY EMBROIDERY MACHINE

The Cornely embroidery machine was an important part of industrial embroidery during this period, but less so for postcards. It was invented in 1868 by Antoine Bonnaz of Paris and worked by a different technique. It used a single, hooked needle and a single thread, producing a chain stitch that could run in any direction. It was a small machine that worked from a treadle by a single person, which was similar in appearance to a domestic sewing machine. They were widely used for simple embroidered designs on clothing, mats, tablecloths, bed linens, etc.

The picture on the left shows a room full of Cornely embroidery machines. The one on the right shows a high resolution image of the work being carried out by the woman on the left hand side of the above picture. She is working on an intricate pattern of foliage work on a netting base. She probably worked from a fine pattern printed on the material, but there must have been lots of room for individuality as she is working free hand.

EXAMPLE OF AN EMBROIDERED SILK POSTCARD MADE ON THE CORNELY EMBROIDERY MACHINE

THE SINGER EMBROIDERY MACHINE

In the 1850s Isaac Singer produced the first commercially viable sewing machine, in the United States. The company became the largest manufacturer of sewing machines in the world, at a time when most homes would have one of their treadle machines in their parlour. Singer also manufactured embroidery machines, which were widely available but never became mainstream for producing embroidered silk postcards.

The irony is that there is evidence that the first embroidered silk postcards ever were made by embroidering onto a card using a Singer machine. They were produced in 1899 and described in detail on the page dedicated to the research on Early (pre-1914) Embroidered Postcards.

EXAMPLES OF AN EMBROIDERED SILK CARD MADE ON THE SINGER EMBROIDERY MACHINE

The card on the left is a Singer trade card and not a postcard, advertising the "New High Arm Singer" machine. It dates from about 1910. It can be seen that the embroidery made on this new machine consists of a large chain stitch and is unsuitable for the delicate embroidery required for an embroidered silk postcard. It is embroidered directly into the card and the backing stitch is visible on the reverse of the card. Similar cards have been seen. They must have hoped to influence the embroidery industry to buy more of their machines.

The card on the right dates from 1907 and the embroidery appears similar to that on the trade card, so it was probably made on a Singer machine. The embroidery is appliqued to the card and it originates in Australia. I have two other similar cards of the same date and they may have been an experimental or amateur product.

Information and images on this site are © Ian Collins 2021.

No part may be reproduced, stored, transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the author.

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