Thomas Stevens (weaver)
Thomas Stevens | |
---|---|
Born | 1828 Foleshill, England |
Died | 24 October 1888 London, England | (aged 59–60)
Resting place | Coventry cemetery |
Occupation | Weaver |
Known for | Inventing the Stevengraph |
Children | 7 |
Thomas Stevens (1828–1888) was a 19th-century weaver in Coventry, famous for his innovation of the stevengraph, a woven silk picture.
Biography
[edit]In the 19th century the town of Coventry, England, was the centre of a ribbon weaving industry. Thomas Stevens was born in Foleshill, just to the north of Coventry, in 1828 to a relatively poor family.[1] Stevens worked for Pears and Franklin, a local ribbon weavers in Coventry, and by 1854 had created his own ribbon firm.[1] In 1860, however, the Cobden–Chevalier Treaty was signed; this free trade treaty introduced new competition into the industry, leading to a collapse in the local ribbon economy and a huge loss of employment in Coventry.[2]
Stevens had considerable experience of experimenting with the Jacquard loom and responded to the local recession by trying to develop new products. He had invented a way of using the programmable loom to weave colourful pictures from silk.[1] By 1862, Stevens could produce four different designs; he attempted to appeal to the mass market, selling his products between six pence and fifteen shillings each.[3] Some of these pictures were used for bookmarks, greetings cards and specialised products for the Admiralty.[1]
Business boomed and Stevens acquired two larger factories in turn; by 1875 he was calling his product the "Stevengraph", named after himself.[1] He exhibited internationally in America, France and Holland, winning some 30 medals and diplomas.[1] In 1878 Stevens moved to London and began to mount his Stevengraphs as framed pictures - by the late 1880s Stevens had over 900 different designs.[3] In 1888 Stevens died following a throat operation and was buried in Coventry.[4]
Legacy
[edit]By the 1930s, Stevengraphs were considered collectable items, but the hobby was considered eccentric and mainly confined to female collectors. During the Second World War Coventry was attacked by German bombers; on 14 November 1940 the Coventry Blitz occurred, destroying the Stevens factory and the records of the Stevengraphs. In the late 1950s it emerged that Henry Stephens, a relative of Thomas, had saved one of the pattern books the night before the attack and kept it in safe storage; Henry donated it to the Coventry City Council, who in turn entrusted it with the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum. Stevengraphs became valuable, with more male collectors entering the hobby.[5] Prices rose, particularly for unusual or rarer images less popular during the Victorian period. A large collection of Stevens' work from his pattern book is still held at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum.[6][1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Lynes, (n.d.).
- ^ P. Searby, PhD Thesis (1972). WEAVERS AND FREEMEN IN COVENTRY, 1820-1861: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL TRADITIONALISM IN AN EARLY VICTORIAN TOWN. University of Warwick. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Stevengraphs - What are they?, Stevengraph Collectors Association, accessed 4 October 2011; Lynes, (n.d.).
- ^ "London Road Cemetery, Coventry". Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ Wollen, pp.68-69.
- ^ "Book of Stevengraphs". Retrieved 18 November 2023.
Bibliography
[edit]- Lynes, Alice. (n.d.) Thomas Stevens And His Silk Ribbon Pictures. Local History Pamphlet No.2. Coventry: Coventry City Libraries.
- Wollen, Peter. (2004) Paris/Manhattan: Writings on Art. London: Verso. ISBN 978-1-85984-580-6.