Rare early textiles dating from the 17th and 18th centuries will be coming under the hammer in the Fashion, Costume and Textiles Sale at Tennants Auctioneers on 20th November. From a private collection and expected to sell for £1,500-2,500 is a 17th century Stumpwork Embroidered Hinged Work Box, depicting in various scenes Charles I, jousting knights, animals and the story of David and Bathsheba (all figures exclude buyer’s premium). The box has come via family descent from the collection of Kate Smith and Beatrice Linskill, who ran guest houses in the 1930s in Hawes and surrounding villages in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, and even ran their own public library from their kitchen in Sedbusk.
From other vendors in the sale are a further 17th century Stumpwork Embroidered Hinged Box and Cover (estimate: £300-500) and a 17th century Stumpwork and Tortoiseshell Framed Wall Mirror (estimate: £500-800) will also be offered. Amongst the highlights of other early textiles are a beautifully preserved 17th century unfinished Band Sampler (estimate: £600-800), a vividly coloured mid-18th century Floral Silk Embroidered Stomacher (estimate: £600-800), and a White Work Stomacher of a similar date (estimate: £400-600).
One of the most unusual items in the sale is a circa 1849 Satirical Handkerchief Depicting the California Gold Rush (estimate: £1,200-1,800). Entitled ‘The Good Time’s Come at Last or California Races’, it illustrates capitalists in fancy top hats, miners digging, panning and hauling gold, and a vignette of crowds desperately trying to travel to the gold mines laden with picks and shovels and fighting one another. Dating from a decade earlier is a circa 1837-45 Printed Ensign Cotton Panel decorated with the naval flags of numerous nations (estimate: £200-300).
Amongst the other 19th century costume and textiles in the sale is a good circa 1830-1840 French Jouy or Alsace Floral Chintz Cotton Quilted Bed Cover (estimate: £700-1,000), and a late 19th century Chinese Embroidered Jacket and Skirt (estimate: £300-500). An interesting collection of Ephemera Relating to Bianchi Ferrier, a silk and fabric manufacturer in Paris founded in the 1888, which will include original artwork for advertising, illustrations, samples and photographs, will be offered with an estimate of £350-450).
Gent’s clothing stars amongst the 20th century textiles, with notable lots including a circa 1970s Mr Freedom Gent’s Three-Piece Trouser Suit (estimate: £300-500). Mr Freedom was founded by Tommy Roberts and Trevor Myles in 1969 and represented the counterculture of the Swinging Sixties dressing the likes of Freddy Mercury and Elton John.
Finally, good private collections in the sale include two North of England collections of 19th and 20th century lace, and a large private collection of 19th and early 20th century hair combs, further lots of which will be offered in sales in 2027. The sale will also see the Edward Crutchley Research Archive come under the hammer, The archive was assembled by Yorkshire-born designer Edward Crutchley, who has worked with many of the leading names in fashion including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Fendi. Included in the archive are unique samples, limited-edition pieces, and textiles gathered from around the world during years of travel and research.
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