Large 1876 Centennial Exposition Stevengraph with George Washington — Framed

Large woven silk from the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, made as a souvenir for the nation’s 100th anniversary. Designed by J. B. Champromy and printed by A. Larcher. 

The building below Washington is Memorial Hall, which was built as the art gallery for the 1876 Centennial Exposition, the first World’s Fair to be held in the United States, and one of only two large buildings built for the fair that is still standing.

As you can see, it's in excellent condition. There are a few very small brown spots that don't detract from the piece, and it's in a beautiful frame with UV-protecting, non-glare acrylic.

A note about the photos: The photos that don't include the frame were taken before the item was put into the frame in order to show the detail of the woven silk.

Size of the woven silk image: 6" x 9.75"

Size of frame: 10.75" x 13.75"

Shipping: $25. Please allow two weeks for shipping.

Historical background on Stevengraphs

Stevengraphs are finely detailed silk pictures that are woven, not embroidered, giving them their remarkable clarity and durability. Made possible by the Jacquard attachment developed from the work of Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752–1834).

The process began with an artist’s design enlarged onto graph paper, where each square represented a specific color. A skilled puncher then translated the design into thousands of punched cards, which were linked into a continuous chain and mounted on the loom. As each card passed through, it directed the raising and lowering of warp threads while the weft threads were woven across, building the image in silk using a simple hole-or-no-hole logic.

Thomas Stevens refined the method and introduced richer color weaving, sometimes using as many as ten shades, far beyond earlier textile pictures. The woven ribbon was then cut and finished as mounted pictures, bookmarks, or novelties.

To learn more, see Joseph Marie Jacquard – His loom and Thomas Stevens – How Stevengraphs Were Made