Fringe, Frog and Tassel: The Art of the Trimmings-Maker in Interior Decoration

Description

Trimmings are often overlooked as mere details of a furnished interior but in the past they were seen as vital and costly elements in the decoration of a room. They were used not only on curtains and beds but also on wall hangings, upholstered seat furniture and cushions, providing a visual feast for the eye with their colour and intricate detail. Sometimes more expensive than the rich fabrics they enhanced, trimmings are often the only surviving evidence of a lost decorative scheme, reapplied to replacement textiles or found as fragments in the attic. This book, the first of its kind, traces their history in Britain and Ireland from 1320 to 1970, examining the design and usage of tassels, fringe, braid (woven lace), gimp and cord and their dependence on French fashion. Lavishly illustrated with new photography, the substantial text links surviving items in historic houses and museums to written evidence, paintings, drawings and other primary sources to provide a firm framework for dating pieces of less-certain provenance. The importance of the 'laceman', the maker of these trimmings, is also examined within an economic and social context, together with the relationship to the upholsterer and interior decorator in the creation of a fashionable room.

Annabel Westman is Executive Director of The Attingham Trust for the study of historic houses and collections and has a distinguished reputation as an independent textile historian and consultant. Since 1980, she has specialised in the reinstallation of historic interiors for heritage bodies, such as the National Trust, English Heritage and Historic Royal Palaces, private houses and museums, carrying out extensive archival research and advising on numerous projects through to completion. Schemes have included the restoration of beds, window curtains, wall hangings and carpets on which she has published and lectured widely. She is a trustee of Stowe House Preservation Trust and was appointed a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1997.

an extraordinary work of dedicated scholarship ... this book is an essential one for the library of anyone with a serious interest in country-house decoration. -- Jeremy Musson * Country Life * Lavishly illustrated, with fascinating tales ... [Westman] paints a vivid picture of how trimmings evolved throughout different ages and styles. * The English Home * ...a triumph of research, textual and visual, with a sustained attention to detail. Richly illustrated and packed with information, it looks set to become the standard text in its field. -- Christopher Stocks * House & Garden * ...simultaneously highly erudite and richly luxurious... -- Michael Hall * The Victorian * This is a sumptuous book, which traces the history of trimmings for furnishing and interior decoration in Britain and Ireland, ... lavishly illustrated with new colour photography and impregnated with sound scholarship from the leading expert in the field. -- Lisa White * The Furniture History Society * The book is a physical and beautifully visual distillation of Westman's knowledge, with lavish illustrations, frequently extending over two pages...a glorious, detailed and readable study... an invaluable tool to rediscover lost decoration. -- Susan Jenkins * The Georgian * An immediate clue to the subject matter of this teasingly titled book is its beautiful presentation: what might be considered a niche topic is here revealed as an essential aspect of interior decoration and for long periods by far the most glamorous and conspicuously expensive... No scholar could be better placed than Annabel Westman to write this book, which is informed by forty years' experience of researching and implementing reinstallations of historic upholstery schemes. It will prove invaluable to a wide readership, including economic and social historians, historians of taste and interior decoration (not only of furniture and upholstery), curators and those engaged in historic reconstructions, as well as designers and decorators seeking inspiration. The book will not be superseded. -- Lucy Wood * The Burlington *