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Chintz. How a Fabric Conquered the World

Exhibition

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The permanent exhibition Chintz. How a Fabric Conquered the World, interweaves local and global history and considers Switzerland’s links to the wider world. It sheds light on the involvement of many Swiss people in key chapters of the modern period, including industrialisation, the triangular trade, colonisation and slavery.

The exhibition forms part of the Chintz Centre, which also comprises a study room, a bed of dye plants in the kitchen garden, and a wide range of natural dyeing workshops.

Study Room

In the study room, visitors can view cloths close up and also explore the National Museum’s rich collection of chintzes, using an interactive multimedia resource that highlights their particular features and explains how to recognise the different printing processes.

Dye plants and natural dyeing workshops

The Chintz Centre offers a wide-ranging programme of workshops, both theoretical and practical, in which visitors can experiment with various natural dyeing techniques. There is also a chance to discover dye plants in the château’s historical kitchen garden.

Mondialisation, colonisation, esclavage.

Dans le cadre de l’exposition Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde, le Château de Prangins a organisé en collaboration avec la Maison de l’histoire (UNIGE) une journée d’échanges sur la manière de présenter au musée des sujets tels que la colonisation, l’esclavage ou encore la mondialisation. Le but était de favoriser la rencontre et les discussions entre universitaires, professionnel-les des musées et de la médiation et visiteuses et visiteurs, amateurs d’histoire.

Chintz in Switzerland

Between the 17th and 19th centuries, printed cotton fabrics transformed Switzerland into one of the world’s leading textile-producing nations. Chintz making, along with weaving and spinning, played a key role in the country’s industrialisation and cemented its role in global trade. Yet surviving evidence of this is limited, and often little known.

This multimedia resource is a compilation of records relating to the industry. Designed in partnership with the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, the interactive map documents the various centres of chintz manufacture in Switzerland in the 18th century.

Bibliography

Activities for the public

Come and spend some time with us, we propose a large selection of activities for different target groups.  A motivated and experienced team is awaiting you.

Guided tours can also be arranged outside of the official opening hours upon request.

Registration

  

2 weeks in advance

Duration

  

60 minutes; special arrangements available upon request

Group size

  

max. 25 people per tour

Languages

  

German, French, Italian and English. Others upon request.

Cost

 

  

CHF 120 for the guided tour + CHF 10/person admission

Children up to 16 years free.

accessibility.sr-only.person_card_info Contact

Château de Prangins
+41 22 994 88 90 info.prangins@museenational.ch

Catalogues

Indiennes. Un tissu révolutionne le monde!

In French
Published by La Bibliothèque des Arts, 2018, 232 pages and 200 illustrations in colour
ISBN 978-2-88453-216-7
 

Price CHF/€ 49.- (shipping fees not included)

This book is on sale at the museum shop, in bookstores or can be ordered frominfo.prangins@museenational.ch or +41 (0)22 994 88 90

This lavishly illustrated work of reference offers an overview of the history of chintzes, highlighting the role played by Swiss people in a flourishing industry. The catalogue section includes introductions to the main factories and production sites in Switzerland and France, extensive analyses of the cloths, and thematic presentations.

Chintz. How a Fabric Conquered the World.

Recueil des textes d'exposition
In English
Published by the Swiss National Museum, 2021, 64 pages and 44 illustrations in colour
ISBN 978-3-905875-69-0
 

Price CHF 15.- (shipping fees not included)

This book is on sale at the museum shop or can be ordered frominfo.prangins@museenational.ch ou au +41 (0)22 994 88 90

Media

Chintz. How a Fabric Conquered the World

Château de Prangins
published on 4.5.2021

The new permanent exhibition Chintz. How a Fabric Conquered the World, which opens at Château de Prangins on 8 May, interweaves local and global history and considers Switzerland’s links to the wider world. It sheds light on the involvement of many Swiss people in key chapters of the modern period, including industrialisation, the triangular trade, colonisation and slavery. The exhibition forms part of the new Chintz Centre, which also comprises a study room, a bed of dye plants in the kitchen garden, and a wide range of natural dyeing workshops.

Traders in Geneva importing fabrics from India to sell in Bordeaux, from where they are sent on to Brazil to be used as clothing for African slaves. Merchants in Basel setting up in Nantes to better fund and combine cargoes for the slave trade. Officers from Neuchâtel in the service of the powerful Dutch East India Company. Swiss plantation owners or managers making use of slave labour. These histories and many more besides are just a few aspects of the fascinating yet extraordinarily complex saga of chintzes: printed cotton fabrics that are regarded as the first ever global product.

The new exhibition allows visitors to retrace the evolution of chintzes across four continents, exploring their impact on the various places where they were produced and consumed. The journey leads from India to Brazil via Switzerland, France and western Africa, emphasising the Swiss presence and role at every stage. Indeed, in many places around the world, on different scales and in different ways, people from Switzerland helped either directly or indirectly to write the story of chintzes. This is an engrossing account of fashion and globalisation: a tale of imitation, prohibition, industrial espionage and contraband.

A study room adds an extra dimension to the exhibition, with information on manufacturing techniques, the iconography of chintzes and the productions of various factories. Meanwhile, a wide range of complete natural dyeing courses offers a hands-on experience of the world of chintz.

The new Chintz Centre at Château de Prangins takes a global and interdisciplinary approach to a fascinating area of cultural history and enables visitors to better understand some of the issues of globalisation, both yesterday and today.

Project management and curatorship: Helen Bieri Thomson, assisted by Barbara Bühlmann and Matthieu Péry

Documents

Images

© (c) Musée national suisse

Affiche de l'exposition permanente

(c) Musée national suisse

Palempore aux ambassadeurs | © (c) Musée national suisse
Palempore aux ambassadeurs

Palempore aux ambassadeurs | Inde, côte de Coromandel, première moitié ou milieu du XVIIIe siècle. Peint et teint par mordançage et réserve, avec poncif pour les bordures.

(c) Musée national suisse

Caraco à la française | © (c) Musée national suisse
Caraco à la française

Caraco à la française | France, manufacture non identifiée, vers 1775 | Impression: planche de bois

(c) Musée national suisse

Enseigne du Régiment suisse de Meuron | © (c) Musée national suisse
Enseigne du Régiment suisse de Meuron

Enseigne du Régiment suisse de Meuron au service de la Compagnie hollandaise des Indes orientales | vers 1790, Aquarelle et gouache sur papier

(c) Musée national suisse

Mata ni pachedi, tenture de la déesse mère | © (c) Musée national suisse
Mata ni pachedi, tenture de la déesse mère

Mata ni pachedi, tenture de la déesse mère | Coton peint à la main, 2019 | Atelier de Chitara Chandrakant, Ahmedabad, Inde

(c) Musée national suisse

Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde | © (c)Musée national suisse
Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde

Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde

(c)Musée national suisse

Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde | © (c)Musée national suisse
Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde

Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde

(c)Musée national suisse

Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde | © (c) Musée national suisse
Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde

Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde

(c) Musée national suisse

Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde | © (c)Musée national suisse
Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde

Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde

(c)Musée national suisse

Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde | © (c)Musée national suisse
Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde

Scénographie de l'exposition permanente Indiennes. Un tissu à la conquête du monde

(c)Musée national suisse

Please note that the downloading and use of images is reserved exclusively for journalists, teachers and other authorised parties. Images are only permitted to be used for the purposes of reporting on exhibitions, provided the captions and reference to copyright are included, or for teaching purposes. Many thanks!

Tatiana Oberson

Head of Marketing, Communication & Fundraising

Château de Prangins
Château de Prangins +41 22 994 88 68 tatiana.oberson@museenational.ch

Impressum

  • General management Swiss National Museum: Andreas Spillmann
  • General Management Château de Prangins: Helen Bieri Thomson
  • Project management and curatorship: Helen Bieri Thomson, assisted by Barbara Bühlmann and Matthieu Péry
  • Scientific consultancy: Bouda Etemad, Gilles Foster, Aziza Gril-Mariotte, André Holenstein, Bernard Jacqué, Jacqueline Jacqué, Lisa Laurenti, Liliane Mottu-Weber, Giorgio Riello, Béatrice Veyrassat
  • Texts: Helen Bieri Thomson, Barbara Bühlmann, Matthieu Péry 
  • Translations: Alessia Schiavon, Geoffrey Spearing et Sandra Wyss
  • Iconographical research: Barbara Bühlmann
  • Exhibition and graphic design: Flyingkoenig, Vevey
  • Exhibition furniture: Menuiserie Grocq et Goy, La Rippe, Metal-System Diserens Sàrl, Echandens
  • Decorator: Nigro & Fils Peinture Sàrl, Nyon
  • Printing: Meylan publicité and Signage: Concise
  • Technical management: Philippe Humm (dir.), André Schärer
  • Lighting: André Schärer
  • Communication and marketing: Tatiana Oberson (dir.) and Sylvie Nickbarte
  • Graphic design (communication): Plates-Bandes Communication, Lausanne
  • Cultural education and events: Ana Vulic (dir.), Céline Allard, Ines Berthold, Susanna Bühler, Sylvie Gobbo, Mirta Grüter, Susanna Hurschler, Marie-Claire Jahiel Romanet, Debra Kinson, Hester Macdonald, Muriel Marchese, Sylvie Nickbarte, Nathalie Pellissier, Killian Perret-Gentil, Matthieu Péry, Ludivine Proserpi, Heidi Rasmussen, Stéphane Repas Mendes, Sian Sibley, Laura Weber, Madeleine Wüthrich, Valérie Zanani, Farès Zemzemi
  • Workshops on natural dyeing: Nathalie Pellissier
  • Dye plants in the kitchen garden: Stéphane Repas Mendes
  • Web, IT and multimedia terminals: René Vogel (dir.), Ueli Heiniger, Pasquale Pollastro, Danilo Rüttimann and Toni Vu (stagiaire)
  • Multimedia terminals: texts and iconography: Helen Bieri Thomson, Barbara Bühlmann, Matthieu Péry
  • Films: Direction and production: Octuor films production, Vevey – Florian Burion
  • Films: Concept and coordination: Helen Bieri Thomson
  • Films: translations: Clarissa Hull-Gut, Clare McAllister, Alessia Schiavon
  • Films: Experts: Sadakne Baroudi, Thomas David, Mohamadou Dieye, Bouda Etemad, Bettina Giersberg, Aziza Gril-Mariotte, Bernard Jacqué, Reto Jenny, Benjamin Jody, Sibyl Kindlimann, Robert Labhardt, Helen Oplatka, Prasannan Parthasarathi, Xavier Petitcol
  • Audio stations: Florian Burion, Roman Hüben (réalisation) ; Studio Alea Jacta.CH, Jérôme Cuendet (prise de son); Gabriele Bazzichi, Irene Godel, Rachel Gordy, Aurore Jecker, Christoph Lanz, Lucia Placidi, Julien Tsongas, Michel Voïta (voix)
  • Legal: Beatrice Käser
  • Administration and finance: Odile Rigolet (dir.) and Jacqueline Naepflin Karlen
  • Reception: Susanne Hurschler, Véronique Laurent Kandem and Anita Rachetta Bays
  • Security: Pedro Schreyer (dir.), Damien Becker, Mohamed Bouchatta, Raphaël Conrad, Mark Goldschmid, Jean-Claude Hunsinger, Priscilla Repond

Conservation-restauration

  • General management of the Centre of collections: Markus Leuthard
  • Project coordination: Françoise Michel, Elke Mürau
  • Conservation/restoration and preparation of exhibits: Nikibarla Calonder, Anna Jurt, Elisabeth Kleine, Iona Leroy, Françoise Michel, Carolin Muschel, Sarah Longrée, Ulrike Rothenhäusler

  • Frame construction: Studio Arte, Zürich

  • Logistics and installation of exhibits: David Blazquez (dir.), Christian Affentranger, Simon d’Hollosy, Reto Hegetschweiler Markus Scherrer

  • Loan services: Bernard Schüle (dir.), Maya Jucker, Angela Zeier
  • Lender: Musée Théodore Monod d'art africain, Dakar
  • For their essential support: Hirzel-Stiftung

Thanks

To all people and institutions who have contributed to the project

  • Archives cantonales vaudoises

  • Archives d'État de Genève

  • Archives de l'État de Neuchâtel

  • Archiv Streiff, Glarner Wirtschaftsarchiv

  • Bernisches Historisches Museum

  • Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire, Fribourg

  • Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire, Lausanne

  • Bibliothèque de Genève, Centre d’iconographie

  • Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon

  • Bibliothèque publique et universitaire, Neuchâtel

  • Dictionnaire historique de la Suisse

  • Historisches Museum Basel

  • Historisches Museum Thurgau

  • Institut National Genevois

  • Musée de l’Areuse

  • Musée d’art et d’histoire de Genève

  • Musée d’art et d’histoire, Neuchâtel

  • Musée de l’impression sur étoffes, Mulhouse

  • Musée d’histoire de Nantes, Château des ducs de Bretagne

  • Musée de la Toile de Jouy

  • Musée historique, Lausanne

  • Musée historique de Vevey

  • Musée Théodore Monod d’art africain, Dakar

  • Museum Bischofszell

  • Museum des Landes Glarus

  • Museum Rietberg

  • Nouveau Musée Bienne

  • Staatsarchiv Kanton Aargau

  • Staatarchiv Kanton Basel-Stadt

  • Staatsarchiv Kanton Thurgau

  • Zentralbibliothek Zürich

  • Fanny Abbott, Aurélie Allais, Philippe de Bosset, Claude Bornand, Werner Bosshard, Romain Bourgeois, Rahel Büchli, Tamara Chanal, Pierre Conne, Mohamadou Mustapha Dieye, Frédéric Elsig, Géraldine Galfetti, Bettina Giersberg, Aziza Gril-Mariotte, Krystel Gualdé, Martin Hampel, Bernard Jacqué, Romain Jurot, Lisa Laurenti, Frédéric Laux, Vincent Lecourt, Laurence Margairaz, Ernest Menolfi, Isabelle Mercier, Malick Ndiaye, Helen Oplatka, Xavier Petitcol, Alain Peyrot, Margret Ribbert, Mylène Ruoss, Christian Sonderegger, Daniel Suter, Toni Vu