1876 Centennial Expo Memorial Hall Woven Silk Bookmark Werner Itschner

$97 · Offered by eBay

Original 1876 Centennial International Exhibition woven silk souvenir bookmark, depicting Memorial Hall at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. The bookmark was produced by Werner Itschner & Co., Philadelphia, with W. Ecklin identified as the designer. The finely woven image shows Memorial Hall surrounded by the dates 1776–1876, commemorating the centennial of American independence and the first official World’s Fair held in the United States. Made of silk with fringed ends, this is a wonderful little survivor from an event attended by millions of visitors nearly 150 years ago. Long before souvenir T-shirts and refrigerator magnets, apparently you brought home something considerably more elegant. The reverse reveals the woven construction particularly well, with the blue threads creating a striking inverse, mirror-image version of the Memorial Hall design—an interesting look at how the pictorial image was formed in the silk. CONDITION: Antique condition with visible age and wear. The silk shows discoloration/staining, particularly around the edges and lower portion, and the fringe is worn, tangled and uneven with some losses. There is additional wear along the sides/corners. Despite this, the central woven image of Memorial Hall remains remarkably clear and detailed, and the blue retains strong color. Please examine all photographs closely for condition. This piece was found preserved inside a 1907 book, where it had apparently been tucked away for many years. The book is

• Year: 1876

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