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Seeking info about Vintage Barkcloth

8 years ago

I have these vintage drapes that I finally plan to reuse. They were being removed from an office and I begged for them. LOL! The pattern fascinates me and I wondered if anyone has ever seen anything like it. What are those spotted critters? I believe the fabric is barkcloth and I'm trying to narrow down a manufacturer or style.






Comments (21)

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Can ask questions directly - "Cooper has collected textiles from flea markets and secondhand shops for years, including this peacock bedspread. “I love the texture that textiles add to a space,” she says. The barkcloth curtains are also vintage."


    My Houzz: Collections, Crafts and Color in a 1960s Austin Ranch · More Info
    https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-houzz-collections-crafts-and-color-in-a-1960s-austin-ranch-eclectic-bedroom-austin-phvw-vp~110711878

    tqtqtbw thanked everdebz
  • 8 years ago

    Doesn't quite look like the barkcloth I remember. The animals look like hyenas?

    tqtqtbw thanked clt3
  • 8 years ago

    I agree with clt3 on both counts.

    tqtqtbw thanked Olychick
  • PRO
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Why would that matter and just because you don’t rmember it doesn’t really have any bearing on it.Hyenas were depicted in many vintage drawings so why not on barkcloth.

  • 8 years ago

    Flip back the lining and look along an interior seam to see if they left a selvedge with the print colors and manufacturer's name showing.

    BTW- If you will be remaking them, check for areas of sun rot on the lining. The fabric shown looks to be in good shape, not faded, worn or threadbare. A good dry cleaner is your friend here.

    tqtqtbw thanked apple_pie_order
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Patricia Colwell Consulting, why do you have to be so nasty? I don't mean the print, I mean the fabric itself. Doesn't look like that spongy kind of texture I remember. Just my opinion - we're all entitled.

  • 8 years ago

    Thank you all. It DOES look like hyenas and it may be linen! That gives me another angle to research.

  • 8 years ago

    I agree it's likely not barkcloth, not textural enough, I agree it might be linen. It's a lovely fabric, the colors are so vibrant and the pattern quite interesting. Is the man depicted cutting a tree down dressed in, I don't know, court jester clothing?

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I think they look like sheep. The spots depict their fuzzy, curly wool.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I don't believe this is barkcloth. The images are very much an orientalist pastiche. The dotted fellows are most likely hyenas but also it made me think of a wolf in sheep's clothing. As for the colorful "persian" dude (or is it Jack) cutting down the tree,he should watch out for the giant shrimp (crayfish?) and the bird!

    tqtqtbw thanked hollybar
  • 8 years ago

    At first, I thought the man might have been wearing a conquistador or a odd Jack, of Jack and the Beanstalk. Yes, he is cutting a vine. I don't see the shrimp, just two weird birds.

  • 8 years ago

    I think you are right. Two birds. My overactive imagination was influenced by this woodblock print over at Chairish.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Older Jack and the Beanstalk drawings often has Jack dressed similarly. I wonder if it's a storybook theme? In what kind of building were they hanging?

  • 8 years ago

    They were in a bank, in the boardroom if I remember correctly.

  • 8 years ago

    It's not barkcloth, but a great fabric. Lucky you! (I'm trying to find out who made/makes it.)

    tqtqtbw thanked torreykm
  • 8 years ago

    Those drapes are beautiful. Good for you! Have you tried a google image search?

  • 8 years ago

    The imagery seems to evoke the 17th century, judging by the boy's costume. Hyenas makes no sense to me. Seems more like very crude deer...? The boy is aiming a gun - perhaps hunting?

    And it does look very much like linen. Cotton may also be a possibility.

    tqtqtbw thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
  • 8 years ago

    Doubtful that it is barkcloth. Not only does the texture not look right, but the design style and colors are not barkcloth like.

  • 8 years ago

    Barkcloth (or what we call barkcloth) is cotton iirc.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I just tried google search but didn't find the drapes. I could be doing it wrong.