Ribbons Exhibition

Ribbons Exhibition

The research project Silk Ribbons in Museum Amager: A Window to Europe was exhibited onsite at KUB (South Campus) from 21th March - 30th May 2025. It is now available as an online exhibition made by Morten Grymer-Hansen, Camilla Cziffery Nielsen, Ulrikka Mokdad, Susanne Lervad, Emma Grarup og Maja Lund in collaboration with Museé d’Art et d’Industrie Saint-Étienne. The exhibition included objects from Museum Amager, Historical Museum of Vendsyssel, and the Calemard family. It has been photographically documented by Agnes Vera Kaufmann.

Production

Tekst

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Silk ribbons are produced using all the standard silk weaving techniques, and are typically characterized by being narrow, having strong and ornamental selvedges. The ribbons are woven on special Jacquard ribbon looms.

Jacquard looms were based on a binary system of punch cards to coordinate the lifting of warp threads during the weaving process thereby allowing the shuttle to pass through. The Jacquard loom, invented in the beginning of the 19th century by Joseph Marie Jacqurd, soon became wide spread across Europe.

The videos to the right provide a visual demonstration of the looms in operation.

Types of Silk Ribbons

From left: A0795, A6358, A0170, A3885, A0154, A6619.a, A1153

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Types

A0795: A piece of ribbon in two shades of pink, divided according to the golden ratio. The smaller left section is light pink and woven in warp reps. This section also features a moiré pattern, a technique in which a combination of stretching, compression, and heat completely alters the appearance and texture of a piece of silk fabric.

A6358: Apron ribbon. A lengthwise striped satin-woven ribbon in white, yellow, black, red, blue, and dark brown. The lengthwise stripes are interrupted by two narrow yellow stripes in weft rep, which are repeated at regular intervals.

A0170: A piece of black satin-woven ribbon with floral and geometric patterns created using weft floats. Additionally, blue geometric dot patterns are printed as borders on each side of the ribbon.

A3885: Apron ribbon in plain weave with a brocaded pattern of flowers and butterflies.

A0154: Peasant ribbon, a floral apron ribbon woven in satin liseré. Blue base color.

A6619.a: Light purple plain-woven silk ribbon with berry bouquets in brown and purple tones. The motifs are created using the chiné technique, in which a loosely woven ribbon has had the motif printed on it. Then, the ribbon’s weft was removed, the warp was re-mounted on the loom, and the fabric was re-woven more tightly. The result is a slightly shimmering, watercolor-like effect.

A1153: A black velvet ribbon with embroidered and appliquéd plant motifs made of green and pink silk fabric.

Ribbons with flower bouqets

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In January 1871, Alsace was annexed by Prussia, after which all non-native residents were expelled, and it became forbidden for local women to wear tricolored silk ribbons in the colors of the French tricolor. Instead, the women of Alsace began wearing ribbons decorated with bouquets of flowers that concealed the prohibited colors. This type of ribbon soon became popular across Europe in the following years, and they can be found in many variations. Their popularity may have been due to a general anti-Prussian sentiment in the late 19th century.

A0739: Two pieces of ribbon, possibly former apron ribbons. Black linen ribbon with brocade-woven flower bouquets in many colors. Identical to No. A0740. bouquet

A0740: Apron ribbon. Black linen ribbon with brocade-woven flower bouquets in many colors. Identical to No. A0739.

Provenance of Silk Ribbons

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Column ribbons and sample books

The Historical Museum of Vendsyssel in Hjørring has kindly lent two sample books containing silk ribbonsamples, catalog numbers 1965/409 and 1965/410. These items originate from the business of merchant and consul Chr. H. Nielsen (1809–1881) in Hjørring. The sample books can be dated to after September 1835, but it is unknown when and for how long they were in use. One of the ribbons in the sample book is a so-called column ribbon (ruban à colonne), woven using the satin liseré technique, which originally comes from Switzerland. Column ribbons are striped in the weft direction, with patterns typically featuring roses and/or apple blossoms. They are often depicted in the paintings of Julius Exner (1825–1919), who portrayed the everyday life of the Amager peasants. These column ribbons were undoubtedly popular accessories in the traditional clothing of Amager peasants. From a technical production perspective, the column ribbons are relatively loosely woven and have long floats, where the weft forms patterns on the ribbon’s front side. This makes them particularly prone to wear and tear and also means that the threads easily catch on buttons, buckles, and similar items.

From Saint-Étienne to Amager

From left: A0302, A0803 and A0793.

Inv: 95.85.12, register of ribbons from the Gérentet Coignet firm, 1857, collection du musée d'Art et d'Industrie de Saint-Etienne.

Inv: 95.58.24, register of ribbons and sketches from the Gérentet Coignet firm, 1866, collection du musée d'Art et d'Industrie de Saint-Etienne.

From left: A0302, A0803 and A0793.

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Silk Ribbons from France in Museum Amager’s Collection
The Musée d’Art et d’Industrie in Saint-Étienne, southern France, holds the world’s largest collection of silk ribbons—approximately 2 million. The museum possesses sample books from several of the city’s major ribbon manufacturers, as well as material from the Industrial Court (Le Conseil des Prud’hommes). Some of the sample books have been digitized and are accessible on the museum’s website.
From 1812 to 1980, all ribbon manufacturers in the region were required to submit samples of ribbons to the Industrial Court representing innovations—whether technical or design-related. When the patent period expired, the Industrial Court sent the sealed boxes of samples to the archives of the Musée d’Art et d’Industrie, where they are still preserved.
So far, three ribbons from Museum Amager have been successfully identified in the digitized sample books of the Musée d’Art et d’Industrie. All three were produced by one of the leading 19th-century ribbon manufacturers, the firm Gérentet et Coignet, whose sample books from 1852 to 1876 are available digitally. One of the ribbons also appears in the Industrial Court’s sample book from 1866, where it was registered as a new design. It turns out that the ribbon’s weave and design were patented in September 1866 for two years, under the number 1866-209.

This concerns item no. A0302, in which cut-out design elements from a silk ribbon have been used as decoration on a pair of hand covers. The pattern is oriental-inspired, featuring round “coins” with pseudo-calligraphic symbols, elegantly connected by rods.

Ribbons no. A0803 and A0793 from Museum Amager share the same pattern and must therefore have been woven using identical punch cards, though in different colors. The 1857 sample book shows that the ribbon was produced in seven different color combinations.

Silk Ribbons in function

From left: Apron (1), Handkerchief (2), Bridal slippers (3), Headwear (4). The handkerchief, bridal slippers and headwear are from the teaching collection, Museum Amager.

Headwear. From teaching collection, Museum Amager.

Embroidery, surface satin stitch (Amager fladsyning), on scarf. From teaching collection, Museum Amager.

From left: Apron (1), Handkerchief (2), Bridal slippers (3), Headwear (4). The handkerchief, bridal slippers and headwear are from the teaching collection, Museum Amager.

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How have ribbons been used on Amager?

The Amager peasants have, over time, added many types of ribbons to various pieces of clothing; upper and lower garments, used them as waistbands, on bonnets, shoes, and other accessories related to the Amager costume.

Aprons (1)

Just like the headwear, there are various apron styles for the Amager dresses. Not all of them have sewn-on ribbons, but this pleated child’s apron does. The child’s apron features one of the so-called "farmer’s ribbons" at the waistband. A closer examination has revealed that there is also another ribbon in pink and white sewn beneath the visible ribbon. It is unknown why it was sewn on top of the original ribbon.

Handkerchief (2)

The handkerchief was used solely as an ornament for the finer dresses, such as the bridal dress and the church dress, which the peasants wore for various celebrations. The handkerchief itself is made of linen, folded, and sewn together, dyed in indigo, with a tassel attached to one corner.

Bridal slippers (3)

These bridal slippers are an example of the use of ribbons on shoes. The ribbons are metallic and run across the shoe. The shoe itself is rounded at the front and narrow at the back with a small heel. These slippers were only worn by the wealthier Amager peasants.

Headwear (4)

There are different types of headwear for the many Amager Dresses, and they vary depending on the year they are from. However, almost all the headwear examined during this project features ribbons. Some have only a single ribbon tied under the chin, while others also have a bow on the back and/or a ribbon on top of the bonnet as decoration.