Printing the Pastoral: Visions of the Countryside in 18th-century Europe

Printing the Pastoral: Visions of the Countryside in 18th-Century Europe presents early and rare examples of copperplate-printed cottons, more familiarly known as toile. This textile genre has remained popular since its inception more than 250 years ago, when technological advances allowed textile printers to exploit the type of copperplates long used by artists to print on paper. Middle- and upper-class audiences clamored for fabrics patterned with idyllic scenes of shepherds, ladies on swings, amorous couples, and village celebrations. Textile printers responded, drawing inspiration from a wide variety of sources. The exhibition pairs these textiles with prints, paintings, and ceramics from the Museum’s collection that share nearly identical or closely matching bucolic imagery.