Linen

"Linen (cultivated from flax) is the most ancient of all textile fibres: its use dates back to 8000 BC. It was used for Tutankhamen's bandages, Jesus Christ's shroud, Cicero's toga, the Phoenicians' sails, the Greeks' handkerchiefs and Charlemagne's underpants. The crisp white ruffs worn by the stern-faced men depicted by Franz Hals were made from linen, as were the fichus which hid the nudity of the 18th century courtesans. Lartigue's early 20th century portraits show how linen was used for summer sports wear; the Wright brothers used it to cover the wings of their aeroplanes; and it was appreciated by 1930s intellectuals such as Ciana, Cocteau, Hesse and Mann."

Vittorio Solbiati in Dickson, Elana, de la Haye, Amy, Dodd, Eugenie, Lorenz, Rolf (eds), Textile Tales, boxed set of cards, Published by TextileTales 2003, textiletales@blueyonder.co.uk