Victorian White Linens

I am an avid collector of antique linen. And I derive a lot of the pleasure from hunting for beautiful things that tell stories of a gentler time, a more graceful life style.

This cloth was probably used at family celebrations. It is a huge banquet cloth that I purchased from the Tarbell estate in New Castle .

Edmund Charles Tarbel, an American Impressionist (late 19th and early 20th century) lived in New Castle and was reknowned for his paintings of family life at the turn of century. The cloth is drawn thread and cutwork and depicts a celebratory scene with dancing, a jazz sax man and florals all around. A wonderful special occassion cloth that came to me in pristine condition rolled around a long, large heavy cardboard cylander and wrapped in paper. Just so perfect!