James Leman's textile design album
The album contains ninety-seven designs for woven silk, painted in watercolour. Most date from 1706-1716, but a few are from about 1730. They are bound with two anonymous d…
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Golden Spider Silk
On display at the V&A from January - June 2012 were the world’s largest pieces of cloth made from spider silk. Included were a brocaded shawl made from the silk of more tha…
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Kimono: making kimono
By the beginning of the Edo period, the kimono ('the thing worn') was the principle garment of both sexes and all classes. Kimono are made from lengths of a standard width …
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Interview with Sophie Roet, woven textile designer & innovator of luxury fabric
Sophie Roet is one of Europe's foremost creative woven textile designers and innovators of luxury fabrics. Her original textile pieces are held in collections worldwide inc…
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The Conservation and Mounting of a Jinbaori
This article discusses the conservation of a rare and unusual Japanese object. The Jinbaori evolved in the late 16th century as a surcoat worn over a full suit of Samurai a…
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Conservation of the 'May Primrose' wedding dress
The wedding dress of May Primrose became part of the Textile and Dress Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1990. It was made in 1885 for her marriage to Henry L…
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The Conservation of a Fourteenth Century Chasuble
Chasubles are worn by officiating priests during the celebration of mass; the fabric for this chasuble was woven in Lucca, Italy and dates from about 1380. Conservati…
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A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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Golden Spider Silk
The Greek philosopher Democritus suggested that humans learned to weave by watching spiders. When perfect, their webs - particularly those of the gold…
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