E. A. Posselt’s Dictionary of Weaves, Part I is a visual reference to woven structures for four through nine harnesses. Its title describes a collection of two thousand weaves arranged for convenient use. Instead of long chapters of instruction, the main body presents densely organized plates of black-and-white weave diagrams, allowing readers to compare many structures at a glance.
The volume belongs to Posselt’s Hand Books of the Textile Industry. Its preface explains the system behind the plates, including the harness headings and the numerical labels that identify warp and filling repeats. For a reader already familiar with weave notation, this organization turns the book into a substantial collection for study, comparison and design exploration.
Book details
- Title: Dictionary of Weaves, Part I
- Subtitle: A Collection of All Weaves from Four to Nine Harness
- Author: E. A. Posselt
- Series: Hand Books of the Textile Industry, Volume I
- Publisher: Textile Publishing Company, Philadelphia; London distribution by Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd.
- Date: Catalogued as 1914 in this copy; the title page is undated
- Length: 128 PDF pages, including period advertisements
- Format: Scanned pattern reference with an English preface and shorter German and French introductions
A dictionary made of diagrams
The word “dictionary” here describes an organized collection of structures rather than an alphabetical list of textile terms. Plates begin with four-harness weaves and progress through five, six, seven, eight and nine harnesses. Each page offers a group of related visual possibilities, making differences in repeat, balance and arrangement easy to compare.
The diagrams are the central resource. Some create simple checks or diagonals, while others produce more elaborate geometric effects. Seeing several variations together encourages close observation: a small change in the arrangement of intersections can produce a noticeably different pattern. The collection is useful for examining that relationship without needing to search across many separate books.
Understanding the labels
Posselt explains that the number of warp threads in a repeat, corresponding to the harness requirement in the arrangement, is indicated at the top of a page. Sets of figures at the bottom identify repeats in both directions. The number before the multiplication sign refers to the warp repeat; the number after it refers to the filling repeat.
Where a plate contains more than one group, the labels correspond to the positions of those groups. The preface also explains the use of repeated units to help convey the general effect of a weave. Reading this short explanation before browsing the plates is important: the numerical information is part of the reference system, not merely a caption added beneath the pattern.
Using the collection for study
An experienced weaver can compare structures within a particular harness range or follow similar effects across different repeat sizes. A textile student can use the plates to practice recognizing repeated units and describing how a pattern is built. Designers may find the arrangement useful when exploring a family of geometric effects, especially when a desired appearance must be considered alongside equipment limitations.
The book is most useful beside a grounding in weave drafting and fabric structure. The plates are not complete household project instructions, and they do not provide a modern recipe for yarn choice, sett, dimensions and finishing for every design. Their value lies in the structural possibilities they preserve and the convenient way those possibilities are grouped.
A record of textile reference publishing
The English preface is accompanied by German and French introductory text, reflecting the international audience for technical textile information. The scan also preserves advertisements for looms, Jacquards, dobbies, shuttles and other mill equipment. These pages add context for readers interested in the industry around the pattern collection, while remaining separate from its principal reference plates.
This volume suits experienced makers, textile educators, pattern researchers and historians of woven design. Its particular strength is concentration: many alternatives can be examined side by side within a clearly defined harness range. For readers who enjoy studying the underlying geometry of cloth, it offers a substantial visual resource in a compact historical volume.
