European Textile Printing, 1680-1780

Dr. Endrei had first published an article on early European textile printing methods in 1963, and since then had researched and published on the subject repeatedly, with special focus on how European block printing was derived from Middle Eastern and Asian methods and technology. Leading up to his time as a Gervers fellow, he was increasingly interested in how it was possible that in the hundred years from 1680 to 1780, the style of and technology producing European prints were able to improve so drastically and rapidly (e.g. polychrome printing, capturing effects such as shade and delicate line, etc), despite the fact that many European countries had banned the printing of cottons and their importation. For his research at the ROM, he drew from the large sample of extant 17th and 18th century textiles, investigating first evidence of global (specifically Turkish and Indian) influence on European printed cotton textiles, as well as influence from printers of other fibers and material, namely woolen, linen, and wallpaper printers. After establishing influences, he sought to document the way manufacturing processes were changed to accomodate cotton printing, and what innovations were borne of these accommodations: new types and methods of using mordants, dyes, changes to chemical and mechanical processes, and an increase in colours and colourways used.