1893 Stevengraph Woven Silk Views of a Sea Rescue and Columbus Leaving Spain

This is a pair of 1893 silk 'Stevengraphs' weaved at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair Columbian Exposition. The views present maritime themes, although the similarity between the two ends with the rowboats.

Called to the Rescue. Heroism at Sea

The first of the two Stevengraphs illustrates a rowboat full of men heading out to sea during a storm to rescue the crew of a sinking ship. A lighthouse occupies a point along the left border, and the bright blue longboat combats the rough seas to reach the doomed vessel. Two different editions of this Stevengraph were created, one using gray silk for the sea and the other using green silk.

Columbus Leaving Spain

The second of the two Stevengraphs, entitled 'Columbus Leaving Spain,' depicts Columbus kneeling in a rowboat to receive a monk's blessing. Members of his crew bow their heads or remove their hats in reverence, hoping for a safe return. Women on the shore who came to see them off fall to their knees weeping, likely fearing for the lives of their husbands or lovers.

Stevengraphs

Stevengraphs were invented by Thomas Stevens (1828 - October 24, 1888) after the ribbon weaving industry in Coventry, England collapsed following the signing of the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty. Stevens used his experience and expertise with the Jacquard loom to weave colorful pictures in silk. He had four designs in production by 1862 and over 900 by the late 1880s. They were sold as bookmarks, greeting cards, and, eventually, framed pieces of art. Stevengraphs fell out of fashion in the early 20th century, but experienced a brief resurgence during the 1930s Victoriana trend. The Stevengraph factory was destroyed by Nazi bombers during the Coventry Blitz of November 14, 1940. It was believed all of Stevens' records were also lost at that time. However, in the late 1950s, Henry Stephens, one of Thomas Stevens's descendants, revealed that he had saved one of the company's pattern books the night before the factory's destruction. Today that pattern book is part of the collection at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum.

The Columbian Exposition

The 1893 Columbian Exposition or Chicago World's Fair was a pivotal moment in the history of the United States. Chicago won the right to host the World's Fair over New York, Washington D.C., and St. Louis. During its six-month run, nearly 27,000,000 people, roughly half the population of the United States at that time, attended the fair. Its numerous displays and exhibits established conventions for architecture, design, and decorative arts, in addition to initiating a new era of American industrial optimism. The layout and design of the fair was the work of Daniel Burnham and Frederick Law Olmsted, the genius behind New York City's Central Park and Brooklyn's Prospect Park, among others. Most of the fair was designed in the Beaux Arts tradition, a popular movement in Paris that was quickly gaining global momentum. In the years following the fair, this influential architectural style redefined the cityscape of Chicago, Boston, New York, and many other prominent American cities.

Dimensions

'Called to the Rescue. Heroism at Sea' measures two (2) inches by six (6) inches. 'Columbus Leaving Spain' measures two and one half (2.5) inches by seven (7) inches. The board measures seven and one half (7.5) inches by nine and three quarters (9.75) inches. The entire piece including the frame measures twelve and three quarters (12.75) inches by fourteen and three quarters (14.75) inches.

Publication History and Census

Editions of 'Called to the Rescue. Heroism at Sea' began appearing as early as 1880. We have located examples in the collections at the Ohio History Connection Museum and the Yale Center for British Art, both of which are cataloged as dating from 1880. It is scarce in the private market. We have been unable to locate any other known examples from the 1893 Columbian Exposition. 'Columbus Leaving Spain' is not cataloged in OCLC and scarcely appears on the private market.