Osnaburg is a general term for coarse, plain-weave

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not ...

. It also refers specifically to a historic fabric originally woven in

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

but also in tow or

jute Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is '' Corchorus ol ...

, and from

or tow warp with a mixed or

weft.

Historic osnaburg

Osnaburg fabric may have been first imported into English-speaking countries from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

city of

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...

, from which it gets its name. Scottish weavers produced a coarse lint- or tow-based linen imitation in the later 1730s, which quickly became the most important variety in east-central Scotland. Sales quadrupled, from 0.5 million yards in 1747 to 2.2 million yards in 1758. It was exported mainly to England, the Netherlands, and Britain's colonies in America. In the Atlantic plantation complex, prior to the abolition of slavery, osnaburg was the fabric most often used for slave garments. It was in widespread use worldwide for general utility and housework, with finer varieties used as common sheeting. Grades contained from 20 to 36

threads per inch A screw thread, often shortened to thread, is a helical structure used to convert between rotational and linear movement or force. A screw thread is a ridge wrapped around a cylinder or cone in the form of a helix, with the former being called a ...

and 10 to 15 picks per inch.

In culture

* “Osnaburg sheets” are referenced by Josiah A. Gregg as cargo wagon coverings in his 1844 book, “Commerce of the Prairies,” which details his eyewitness experiences as a trader on the Santa Fe Trail. * In ''The Prairie Traveler'' (1859) Captain Randolph B. Marcy recommends that every wagon used to cross the plains by settlers "be furnished ... with double osnaburg covers, to protect its contents from the sun and weather." This use is also mentioned in Gwen Bristow's novel '' Jubilee Trail'': in Chapter 10, it is spelled ''osnabrig''. * In the novel '' S.'' by J. J. Abrams and Doug Dorst, there is a description of a sailor "clad neck-to-shin in sailor's osnaburg". * In the novel ''

Book of Negroes The ''Book of Negroes'' is a document created by Brigadier General Samuel Birch, under the direction of Sir Guy Carleton, that records names and descriptions of 3,000 Black Loyalists, enslaved Africans who escaped to the British lines during ...

'' by Lawrence Hill, there is a description of slaves being given garments of osnaburg cloth to wear. * In the novel ''The Water Dancer'' by Ta-Nehisi Coates, the main character, a slave named Hi, wears osnaburg clothing.

Modern osnaburg

Fabric sold today as "osnaburg" is typically an unprocessed, relatively stiff

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

twill Twill is a type of textile weave with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs. It is one of three fundamental types of textile weaves along with plain weave and satin. It is made by passing the weft thread over one or more warp threads then ...

. Though rough by modern standards, it is much finer and softer than historic osnaburg. The Spanish word "osnaburgo" is still commonly used in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

for coarsely woven cotton or linen fabric.

References

External links

"Osnaburg the Great"
from fabrics.net Woven fabrics Textile industry of the United Kingdom Industry in Scotland {{Scotland-hist-stub

Historic osnaburg

In culture

Modern osnaburg

See also

References

External links