Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access will require additional advanced notice. Unless noted, digital media are not available online. Copies of unrestricted digital files will be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request. Access will be provided to use copies of unrestricted digital files rather than carrier media, such as CDs, DVDs, and floppy disks. Some or all electronic files may be unavailable or restricted due to privacy reasons, agreement with the donor, software is not available to interact with files, or because files cannot be retrieved from original media.
This collection includes two bound sets of silk fabric samples from Liberty & Co., a producer and trader of luxury goods established in 1875 in London.
Liberty & Co., originally named Arthur Lasenby Liberty Ltd., began as a London department store established in May 1875 by Arthur Lasenby Liberty with funds from his fiancee Emma Louise Blackmore's father and tailor Henry Hill. Liberty & Co. imported and sold luxury furniture, jewelry, and fabrics, and its products held a prominent place in the development of the British Arts and Crafts Movement.
Various furniture designers joined the Liberty & Co. team, including E.P. Roberts and Leonard Wyburd. The company established the Liberty & Co. furniture and cabinet factory in 1892 and promoted itself as a retailer of luxery goods.The products and designs of Liberty Co. received praise from publications such as The Cabinet Maker and Art Furnisher, the Art Journal, and The British Home of Today, and its work was shown in prominent exhibitions, including London's Arts and Crafts Exhibibitions of the late 19th and early 20th century and the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878.
The company continues to operate after Arthur Lasenby Liberty's death in 1917.
This collection includes two sets of fabric samples from Liberty & Co., based in London. The samples are bound into small booklets with each piece of fabric numbered.
The Tyrian Silk was imported from China and dyed in England. A note in the booklet states that the company had to obtain a new source of Chinese silk because of "war conditions" in the country. It claims to be better woven that the original. It includes 66 samples.
The Shanghai Silk booklet includes 64 samples.
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.
[Identification of item], New Tyrian Silk and Shanghai Silk by Liberty Fabrics, MSS 00492, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Purchased (Accession 2025.0128, 2025 October).
Processed by: Ella Mayfield, October 2025.
Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access will require additional advanced notice. Unless noted, digital media are not available online. Copies of unrestricted digital files will be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request. Access will be provided to use copies of unrestricted digital files rather than carrier media, such as CDs, DVDs, and floppy disks. Some or all electronic files may be unavailable or restricted due to privacy reasons, agreement with the donor, software is not available to interact with files, or because files cannot be retrieved from original media.
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[Identification of item], New Tyrian Silk and Shanghai Silk by Liberty Fabrics, MSS 00492, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries' "Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain" and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.