Title: Weaving - Japan
Artist: The Philadelphia Museum
Silver gelatin photograph, 1910s.
Image size 9 1/2 x 12" (241 x 304 mm).

The loom shown in this photograph is one of the primitive hand-and-foot looms in common use in Japan. Similar looms are used in all parts of the world where hand weaving is done. The older woman is engaged in weaving silk goods. She holds a shuttle in her right hand and works the treadles with her feet. In this loom the treadles are made of bamboo. The warp, or lengthwise threads of the fabric to be woven, are carefully wound on the warp beam, seen at the right end of the loom. This beam holds the warp taut, and is kept from turning by a peg which catches one arm of the cross on the end of the beam. This cross and its peg show plainly in the picture. From the warp beam the threads pass up and over the long table-like end of the loom. Here they are divided and crossed by the two leash- rods which the younger woman holds. From the leash rods the warp threads pass through the heddles. These are made of loops of yarn arranged on small frames and are suspended, each by two cords from a pulley at the top of the machine. Each of the two heddles is arranged to engage alternate threads of the warp, and thus as one treadle is raised and the Other lowered, alternate threads of the warp are raised. The shuttle is passed between the two sets -of warp threads and then the treadles are reversed. This throws up the warp threads which were below and pulls down the warp threads which were above, and the shuttle is again passed between the two sets of warp threads. After each passage of the shuttle, the reed on which the weaver has her left hand is drawn toward the Operator, drawing the thread up tight against the part of the cloth which had been previously woven. This makes the cloth one thread longer. Then the reed is thrown forward, treadles reversed, the shuttle thrown, and the reed again drawn toward the weaver. As the cloth is woven, it is from time to time rolled up on the cloth beam, the round end of which can be seen near the weaver's right hand. At the same time, a corresponding length of warp threads is unwound from the warp beam. There is no essential difference between the plan on which this loom is constructed and the plan of modern power looms, such as are found in factories in almost all parts of the world. Such a loom as this weaves a plain fabric. Stripes can be obtained by bands of different colors in the warp threads. Plaids can be woven by varying the color of threads used in the woof as well as in the warp. This is usually done by the use of two or more shuttles. Fabrics such as satin, twilled and figured goods, velvet, etc., require much more complicated looms. In some of these there are many heddles and two or more sets of warp threads. In a modern weaving mill there are often hundreds of power looms, worked by steam power, running at the same time. All the work is done automatically and the attendants merely supply the yarn, straighten out tangles, join broken places and regulate the machines.

Condition: Very good condtion, some minor surface staining on back of photo board.