The Set of Valances at the V&A

The final piece that I saw at the Clothworkers Hall was the set of valances that were made by the Haslemere Peasant Industries.  Seeing these up close provided a lot more detail than is visible online.

Set of valances,
Haslemere Peasant Industries c.1900-1905
at the V&A here

The colours and cloth seemed to be very similar to other Haslemere peasant tapestry pieces, and I note that since I wrote about these set of valances on December 2014, the V&A have removed their "possibly made" accreditation of the piece to Haslemere Peasant Industries, and now firmly accredit it to Haslemere Peasant Industries.

It was lovely to see the V&A's collection of Haslemere weaving and tapestry displayed together for my visit.  The majority of the works were by Luther Hooper but the valances occupied a special corner of the table.

A table of Haslemere weaving and tapestry,
August 2016 at
Clothworker's Hall, V&A

The tapestry looked very impressive from a far, but looking at it more closely I was reminded of my post 'Peasant Shopping - Part 4 - Sew You Own Peasant Tapestry' here where the Surrey Times (2 September 1899) reported on the Haslemere Weaving Industry "The work is sold at the depot in London of the Peasant Arts Society, and is exhibited at the Arts and Crafts, Homes Arts, and other handcart exhibitions….Specimens of Peasant Tapestry will be on view at the Tapestry House daily where also orders can be received for finished work, or work prepared for those who desire to sew it themselves."  

Looking more closely a pencil outline on the blue backing cloth is visible in numerous places outlining the leaves and chestnuts.  Not being familiar with the method used to create these tapestries, I do not really understand why there would be outlines on the backing cloth of the appliquéd shapes.  I would have thought that the leaves and chestnuts would have been cut out separately and then pinned and appliquéd on, which would not have led to pencil outlines, so that cannot be how the tapestry was made.  Also, the blue backing cloth has been economically used in places, with different pieces patched together to form the main background.

Set of valances, Haslemere Peasant Industries c.1900-1905
with outlines showing around chestnut and leaf
Victoria & Albert Museum

Set of valances, Haslemere Peasant Industries c.1900-1905
with outlines showing around the chestnut leaf
Victoria & Albert Museum

Set of valances, Haslemere Peasant Industries c.1900-1905
with different cloth sections sewed together on the top and bottom right
Victoria & Albert Museum

In places the thread on the tapestry is blue, and in others gold, so perhaps as well as running out of cloth they ran out of thread?

Blue and gold threads on the tapestry

Blue threads on the tapestry

The valances are all different lengths.  I had thought when I saw them online that the valances would have been used for a bed, but perhaps they were for windows instead?  In this photograph the middle valance on the table was a darker colour than the outer two, perhaps due to sunlight, although it does seem to be a more dirty colour?

Set of valances,
Haslemere Peasant Industries c.1900-1905
at the V&A

The end pattern of each valance is different, and I could not work out how they would have fitted together.   The bottom valance seemed to have lost it's ties.

different endings on the set of valances
Haslemere Peasant Industries c.1900-1905
at the V&A

I am no expert but my conclusion on this piece is that it does appear to originate from the Haslemere Peasant Industries, who am I to say that the V&A are wrong(!), but that it could not have been made by Godfrey Blount as it's make up is too amateurish.  Maybe it was made by women in the Tapestry Studio, like in the Art Journal photograph of 1906, or perhaps it was a 'sew your own' kit that was bought and made at home.

Sarah Tyssen, who is the weaver living at the Weaving House, and therefore is much more knowledgeable on this subject has told me: "The colour differences in the ground cloth could be down to the fact they were using natural dyes. It would be impossible to repeat the exact same colour in a different dye batch.  The handwoven cloth would also be very precious, and they would be restricted by the width/length woven, hence the joins in the ground cloth. 

The pencil lines may well have been drawn by Godfrey Blount as a guide? The pattern pieces could then be cut and stitched on by the women?"

The Tapestry Studio, Kings Road, Haslemere from Art Journal, 1906