580 CALICO-PRINTING 



established themselves as extensive and wealthy printers, not more by their energy 

 and business talent than by their scientific attainments, and by the unbounded and 

 lavish support which they gave to everything which art and science could suggest 

 to assist them. Mr. James Thompson of Primrose, near Clitheroe, was for forty 

 years the recognised head of the print trade. The era of his commencement in the 

 trade was the beginning of a series of discoveries and new applications in chemical 

 science to the purposes of calico-printing. During forty years he devoted himself 

 und the ample funds his business placed at his disposal to the advancement of taste 

 in connection with his trade. No sums, however large, were spared to draw into its 

 service the talent even of .Royal Academicians, and of many other eminent men high in 

 art.' Mr. John Mercer, of the house of Fort Brothers, and a contemporary of Mr. 

 Thompson, for a long period worked enthusiastically and rendered valuable assistance 

 to the trade by the introduction of chemical novelties ; and many styles founded by 

 him are still popular. The house of Hargreaves Brothers and Co., during the same 

 period, took a prominent position in the production of new and original colours and 

 stylos. 



In France M. Koechlin was looked up to as the leader of the trade, and was mainly 

 instrumental in establishing sound scientific principles in the art. ' During the pro- 

 gressive improvement, dating from 1831, one house may be named, of high standing, 

 who introduced a colour superior in brilliancy, fastness, and utility for domestic wear, 

 to any other previously known. This was the madder purple of Messrs. Thomas 

 Hoyle and Sons, a colour which may be said to have superseded the old Navy blue print 

 in English wear. Messrs. Hoyle and Sons maintained their well-deserved superiority 

 for many years. The London printers, up to the repeal of the duty, still held their 

 position for first-class goods. They made great use of the flat press printing-machine. 

 Their plates were well engraved, and for a long time they succeeded in getting a 

 smartness of impression, better than any at that time obtained from, the cylinder. 

 Some few of the Lancashire printers adopted the press, the better to compete with the 

 town printer. The rapidly increasing trade in Lancashire, and with it the power of 

 so much cheaper production, gradually undermined the London printers, and brought 

 about a complete change in their class of work.' The London printers now print 

 fine shawls, handkerchiefs, waistcoatings, and a superior class of cotton prints for fur- 

 niture hangings. The present annual production of printed cloth of all kinds in 

 Great Britain may be estimated at about 20,000,000 pieces. In 1840 the quantity 

 produced was about 16,000,000. The quantity now, probably, rather exceeds 

 20,000,000 of pieces ; but, from the absence of any very authentic statistics, the 

 quantity is very difficult to arrive at. The print trade, according to Mr. Bazley, 

 consumes a weight of cotton about one-seventh the entire import into this country. 



Owing to her natural advantages, England has by far the largest portion of the 

 calico-printing trade, and especially of the export trade ; and probably at the present 

 time England produces as many printed pieces as all the rest of the world put 

 together. The United States produces next to ourselves in quantity ; France and 

 Switzerland the next to America in quantity, but far superior to her in quality, and 

 second only to ourselves in value of production. Franco is the only competitor 

 we have to meet in the neutral markets of the world. The Zollverein, Austria, 

 and Bohemia produce for their own markets, and by high protecting duties prevent 

 any other supply, except of very fine French goods. Holland produces a small 

 quantity of medium goods; Belgium also produces a few; Naples has a few 

 small print works ; Eussia produces for her own market, and the number of 

 works has rapidly increased of late her market is almost prohibited to us; 

 Spain produces a limited quantity of inferior goods ; Portugal has a slight pro- 

 duction ; Turkey produces a few printed goods, hardly worth notice ; the Sultan 

 Abdul Medjid has tried the experiment of organising print works on the English 

 principle, with English artisans and foremen, but the experiment was a complete 

 fa/lure ; Egypt also has revived the art, with very inferior results, The Chinese un- 

 doubtedly practised the art of calico-printing many centuries before ourselves. Mr. 

 Potter was able to exhibit samples of Chinese work to the Society of Arts, which he 

 described as of very primitive taste and rude execution. ' Mulhausen, it may not be 

 uninteresting to mention,' says Mr. Potter, ' is certainly the seat of the finest printing 

 in the world. Calico-printing was first established there in 1746, by the firm of 

 Koechlin and Co., and is still carried on by descendants of the original firm ; and 

 during the whole period, and not less so now, the house has had a high and justly 

 deserved reputation for talent and taste ; and to them the chemistry of the trade is 

 most deeply indebted for many valuable processes and discoveries. Other houses of 

 almost equal celebrity followed, and Mulhausen has justly maintained its reputation 

 of being, for fine goods, the first calico-printing district in the world.' 



The first step in calico-printing is to remove the fibrous down from the surface of 



