Patchwork & Quilting UK – August 2019

55

FEATURE // silk, theatre and drama

Silk was used for many items during World War II and made

over 3.5 million silk and cloth maps for Allied personnel,

especially for the RAF and Special Forces to use showing

escape routes. Silk could be easily folded very small and

hidden in an object, or concealed inside two layers of clothing

such as a jacket or the hem of a dress.

I hope these two little articles have given some insight into

a few of the treasures of the British Library. As Liz Rose, the

Textile Conservator at the British Library said, ‘I have been

amazed at the quality, quantity and diversity of the textiles

at the British Library relating to the written word. Textiles

of all kinds are to be found across the whole spectrum

of the British Library with book covers, scroll wrappings,

embroideries, posters, handbills, flags, book linings, maps

and even bark cloth from the South Pacific brought back by

Captain Cook. There are some real treasures in this Library

and very many have yet to be found.’

Above: Poster 1880. Cloth Sample. Bradford Manufacturing
Company (Evan.7152). Below: Silk Map. Schaff hausen Airey
Neave escape map 1940. This one was produced to show a
section of the German/Swiss border and contains information
on a route to be taken and places to avoid. Maps CC.5a.424

(^1) Kassia St Clair ‘The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed
History’ p.63/64 Published by John Murray c2018
(^2) A detached binding from the collection of Pandoifo
Collenuccio. Poet and Historian (1440 – 1504)
(^3) Jacky Bratton ‘Popular Culture’ 2014, British Library. Text
available under Creative Common Licence.
Note: in the 1770s Drury Lane and Covent Garden were both
known as the ‘Theatre Royal’
My thanks to Textile Conservator Liz Rose and the British
Library for allowing me to use their images.
All images ©British Library Board