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Object Timeline

  • We acquired this object.

1949

  • Work on this object began.

1955

  • Work on this object ended.

2024

  • You found it!

Tablecloth, 1949–1955

This is a Tablecloth. It was manufactured by Simtex Mills. It is dated 1949–1955. Its medium is cotton and its technique is twill weave. It is a part of the Textiles department.

Simtex Mills, a division of Simmons Mattress Company, produced many novelty tablecloths and napkins in the 1950s and 60s, along with bedding and flannel. The company produced designs by Russel Wright from 1949 – 55, but they also produced designs by their in-house design team, many of which have been misattributed to Wright. Among them is Pavillion Plaid, a multicolored plaid printed on Sanforized cotton—a process of stretching and pre-shrinking fabrics, in order to reducing shrinkage during washing.
The company also marketed a group of plaid tablecloths with the slogan “Modern Wovens.” This may have been an attempt to capitalize on the success of Wright’s designs; his tablecloths were marketed as “Simtex Modern,” and were colored to coordinate with his American Modern dishware, one of the best-selling tableware lines ever produced.

This object was donated by George R. Kravis II. It is credited Gift of George R. Kravis II.

Its dimensions are

H x W: 156.2 × 122.6 cm (5 ft. 1 1/2 in. × 48 1/4 in.)

Cite this object as

Tablecloth, 1949–1955; Manufactured by Simtex Mills; cotton; H x W: 156.2 × 122.6 cm (5 ft. 1 1/2 in. × 48 1/4 in.); Gift of George R. Kravis II; 2018-22-134

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/420557241/ |title=Tablecloth, 1949–1955 |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=25 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>