During the First World War, many Allied officers and soldiers based in France sent silk embroidered postcards to their loved ones back home, in particular to Britain and Canada. From 1917, when American soldiers had arrived in northern France, they also

When thinking of the Middle East, images of bearded men and veiled women tend to come to mind. But this neighbour of Europe is far more diverse than we often think. In the past few years, media coverage of the Arab Spring and the dramatic war in Syria and

Many people, both inside and outside of the country, regard Afghanistan as a land that is perpetually affected by war, terrorism and internecine strife. Yet Afghanistan is also a country with a remarkably rich heritage, including a fascinating array of ethnic

In 2014, a small collection of eleven ancient Greek loom weights was donated to the Textile Research Centre in Leiden, the Netherlands. The collection also included other textile tools, such as a bobbin (TRC 2014.0797), a bobbin fragment (TRC 2014.0798), and

One of the joys of walking around the bazaars of ancient Cairo is a visit to the Street of the Tentmakers. It is a seventeenth century complex of buildings, with a long street with shops filled with appliqué panels of the most amazing range of colours and

In April 2018, the TRC was given a collection of fifty original Berlin work charts. The donor was a long-time friend and supporter of the TRC, Mrs. Mariet ter Kuile-Portheine. She acquired these charts in the 1980’s. Most of them date to the mid-nineteenth

This online exhibition is based on a TRC Gallery Exhibition with the title Textile Travels: Asia, Africa, Europe, presented at the Textile Research Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands, from 15th September 2022 until 22nd December 2022. There are five separate

Lotus shoes worn by Chinese women with bound feet represent an intriguing, beautiful and yet at the same time a hideous and deforming aspect of many women’s lives for nearly 1000 years. The examples now in the TRC Collection formed part of an exhibition about

This online exhibition is based on a TRC Gallery Exhibition with the title VELVET!, presented at the Textile Research Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands, from 22nd January until 28th June 2019. There are ten separate sections, followed by a gallery of objects

For a few sacks more.... How feedsacks clothed and warmed Americans during the Depression, and later.

This was the name of an exhibition set up and hosted by the Textile Research Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands, between January and July 2018. The idea for

We all know the motif, that cone-shaped curvy form which is so pleasant to look at and feels so peaceful. The eye is taken from the side to the top and down again, all with a feeling of balance. It is so well-known that it is generally accepted as just being

Textiles tell stories. The Textile Research Centre (TRC) in Leiden has organized this online exhibition to celebrate a few of the stories of LGBTQ+ people and to explore the connection between dress, gender and identity. From rainbow flags to glittery drag

The present online exhibition is based on a 'real' display that is on show at the Textile Research Centre from 12th September until 22nd December 2017. It was organised as part of the 2017 Asia Year celebrations in Leiden, and the official opening of the Asia

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War (1939-1945), an event that still reverberates in the lives of people in The Netherlands, Europe and indeed in many other parts of the world.

The collection of the TRC in Leiden houses

Lace is a decorative openwork fabric, gradually built up by the interworking of free threads. The threads are forming holes and solid parts that are essential for the design and deliberately made by special movements like cross and twist.

The first

Maltese lace, locally known with the umbrella term of Bizzilla 'ta Malta, is associated with the Mediterranian archipelago of Malta, and especially with the island of Gozo. It is a form of bobbin lace of relatively recent, mid-19th century date, although

The online exhibition Out of Asia is based on a TRC Gallery display with the title Out of Asia: 2000 Years of Textiles. It was presented at the Textile Research Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands, from 15 July until 15 August 2019, on the occasion of the