France’s National Archives Explores the History of Textiles at ‘Made in France’ Paris Exhibit

Paris may hold the title of the capital of fashion, and a new exhibit at the National Archives explores how textiles and trade policy impacted the development of the country’s apparel industry over centuries.

Over two rooms on the second floor of the grand National Archives building in Paris’ Marais, the “Made in France” exhibit is less strictly about fashion than about the craft and culture of textiles, starting with the codifying of production standards with official seals under King Louis XIV, cementing the country’s status as the center of luxury.

There’s intrigue and espionage thrown in, alongside explanation of the first laws regulating manufacture and the hardware of ancient looms, among other unique pieces, and it later dives into politics and current policy. The exhibit is sponsored by Pierre Frey.

Curated by a trio of historians — Anne-Sophie Lienhard and Alexia Raimondo from the National Archives, alongside Esclarmonde Monteil from the Ministry of Culture — “Made in France” explores the history of textile production from the 17th century through the major upheavals of the post-World War II period.

“[The exhibit] is really about the keys to understanding textiles, because although we all have material on us or are in contact with materials all day, in fact, we don’t know it that well. The industrialization of textiles in the 19th and 20th centuries meant that we lost contact with the origins of textile materials,” Monteil said.

That the title “Made in France” is in English is meant to evoke the emotion of the label as one of quality, and the idea that French savoir-faire is still important to consumers from around the globe, she added.

Eighteenth-century wool cloth samples produced for export to Latin America.

Courtesy National Archives, France

It starts with Louis XIV’s comptroller general Jean-Baptiste Colbert. He was the first to establish regulations in manufacture and trade policy, including instituting standards for textiles, such as how many threads should be used to make various types of wool cloth, and how they should be dyed. These regulations led to the first trademarks and royal seals on display here, which proved quality to buyers at home and abroad.

Colbert also created the role of inspectors to visit the factories, and these officials diligently collected, annotated and bound samples.

The National Archives pulls from its vast stash of these books, which are filled with strips of colorful cloth that have been so well-conserved we can see their original, vibrant shades. Books contain samples of silk, cotton and velvet, as well as bold prints.

Inspectors also noted factory conditions such as how many weavers, printers or engravers worked on textiles, providing an additional trove of information on how things were manufactured, and made instructive drawings depicting the inner workings of factories. While the drawings were originally intended as technical documents, their sketch and watercolor style appears as delicate artwork to the modern eye.

Watercolor drawing of the new silk-pulling machine by the Bruté family factory inspectors from 1779.

Courtesy National Archives, France

Videos screen show actors in extravagant costumes recreating moments from history, as well as others that explain the mechanics of how textiles are made, including a demonstration of the intricacies of jacquard.

Much of the exhibit focuses on international trade, and how the French manufacturers sent their exports as far abroad as China, Latin America and the Middle East. There are also fascinating examples of the first international trade fairs established to promote French goods.

Notable bits of intrigue are included, such as the government poaching Dutch producers who were known for their quality cloth and bringing them to France to set up factories, and details of British spies who poached skilled workers to make silk across the English Channel.

A dress on loan from the Palais Galliera is on display to drive home the impact of textiles; many of the first synthetic dyes used arsenic and made their wearers ill. Another display dives into the first laws to restrict child labor and how that impacted factory production.

Monteil noted that the Palais Galliera has now set up a research group to investigate which garments contain arsenic in their collection.

The expansive first room gives way to the second part of the exhibit, a darker, gray and decidedly less grand area which explains post-World War II developments in the textile industry, including the invention and impact of oil-based synthetics. Displays such as “How Synthetics Conquered the World” spell out the growth of the cheap and easy-to-produce fabrics, and relates how the homegrown French industry that was reliant on natural fibers became more fragile in the years following.

The exhibit dives into globalization and the French government sent high-profile trade missions to China at that time, which did not increase textile exports.

“This is a challenge for French companies that have to deal with the opening up of the market and therefore modernize, modernize their machines, and also modernize their offers,” Lienhard said. The French government spent millions to support the textile industry but ultimately they couldn’t compete, despite trade agreements. “But there were no real concrete regulations that allowed French companies to cope.”

Day dress in printed viscose fabric from Printemps department store, circa 1948-1958.

Courtesy National Archives, France

The politics are made plain as the exhibit moves through the 1990s, and the current issues surrounding the garment industry and how globalization has decimated French textile production.

The exhibit walks visitors through modern day consumption habits, including graphics showing that global textile production has more than doubled from 6 kilos, or 13 lbs., of textiles per person per year in 1956, to 14 kilos, or 30 lbs., in 2020. It also dives into some sobering statistics, such as how much oil is used by the textile industry to manufacture synthetics and how much carbon production of items such as a T-shirt emits.

On a postive note, the exhibit explains the proposed French labelling “ecoscore” points system. “Made in France” closes with the idea that perhaps returning to some aspects of Colbert’s idea of quality standards and trade policies can have an impact on the textile trade.

The exhibit runs until Jan. 27 at the National Archives in Paris.

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