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HOW A SIMPLE PAIR OF DRAPES SPUN ITSELF INTO A

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CENTURY-LONG STORY OF LOVE AND HEARTACHE

APRIL CLAASEN | 09104011

WORD COUNT: 2143
 Contents
Introduction 1
Part One: Drapes in Totality 2
Part Two: Engaging with the Drapes 5
Part Three: Statement of Significance 7
Bibliography 9
Appendices 10

Drape 1, left, and Drape 2, right

 claimed the lives of 2561 people. After a chance encounter in
Auckland more than 30 years later, Roy Smith was introduced to
“It sort of spoke a
Jane2, originally from Napier, who gave him some tools and fabrics
history and it had its
own life,” Roy said as that had belonged to her late husband. Among these items were a pair

he sipped his coffee; of seemingly crudely sewn3 drapes that Roy later planned to use to
“and I think if you’re upholster a chaise lounge. However, he never did. “It sort of spoke a
cutting it up you’re history and it had its own life,” Roy said as he sipped his coffee; “and
almost destroying a I think if you’re cutting it up you’re almost destroying a life. You’re

You’re
life.
cutting the history up.” (R. Smith, personal communication, 24
March 2021). This paper will present a material culture analysis of

cutting the the drapes, based around the framework suggested by Jules David
Prown (1982), followed by a discussion of their significance (Russell
history up.” & Winkworth, 2009).

(R. Smith, personal

communication, 24 March
2021)

Shortly before midday on

February 3 1931, the secretary
of the Post and Telegraph
department in Wellington
reported that all
communication with Napier
had been cut off at 10:48am
that morning (‘Serious
1
The official death toll is recorded as
Earthquakes’, 1931). What 256 people, though 258 names
would soon be communicated appear on the memorial in Napier
(Deadly Hawke’s Bay Earthquake |
by local vessels was one of NZHistory, New Zealand History
Online, n.d.)
New Zealand’s worst natural 2
Unfortunately, Roy did not
disasters – a magnitude 7.2 remember the name of the woman
from whom he received the drapes
earthquake which ultimately and upholstery tools. This paper will
refer to her as ‘Jane’ in [pursuit] of
maintaining the narrative.
3
There are a number of areas of
uneven stitching across both drapes,
with a weaker thread used for
stitching than was typical of the
industry, see Figure 9 for an
example.
Figure 1 – Cover: A closer look at the lustre of the multi-coloured metallic silk
Figure 2 – Left: A full length view of one of the drapes showing the repeating geometric and
floral motifs. Some creasing is also visible.
Part One: Drapes in Totality

At first glance, the drapes – with their many different colours of silken thread – catch the eye for their sheer
elegance (Figure 1). On a slate grey background, four motifs – a small scalloped quatrefoil cross, an
elongated quatrefoil and two rosettes with seven and eight petals – are enclosed within hexagonal
medallions outlined in blue thread. These motifs combine to make the background of the overall design; in
the ‘foreground’ lie large oval ornamentations made up of what appear to be chrysanthemum or peony
flowers and leaves (Figure 2). Colours are shades of red, orange, yellow, green and blue, all in a silken,
metallic thread. The jacquard woven brocatelle style leaves little trace of the colours within the patterning on
the reverse (visible in Figure 3 above), allowing imperfections and damage to be seen that was not visible on
the front (Dress and Textile Specialists, 2019, pp. 19, 38; R. Smith, personal communication, 24 March
2021).

Prior to this study, the drapes had been stored - under the guise of being a single piece of fabric - on a
standard cardboard fabric tube in the ceiling supports of Roy’s various factories and workshops after their
acquisition; they had stayed in this state until the late 2010s when Roy finally unrolled them and discovered
that they were a pair of partially completed drapes as opposed to the raw material he had been expecting (R.
Smith, personal communication, 24 March 2021). This relatively undisturbed storage method resulted in
remarkably well-conserved textiles: there is minimal evidence insect activity limited to the outer edges and
exposed end of only Drape 2, which was the outermost drape on the roll. Several small insect accretions are
visible in these areas, which were on the end of the roll and thus most exposed (Figures 4 & 6). All insect
accretions are larvae skins, and appear linked to one particular type

Figure 3 - Curtain tape sewn on the reverse of both drapes shows evidence of use through hanging
 of

Figure 5 - Larval skins on Drape 2 Figure 4 - Mud-like accretion on the bottom end of Drape 2 Figure 6 - Larval skins visible
along the outer edge of Drape 2
carpet beetle, or dermestid, likely
black carpet beetle (Attagenus unicolor) or furniture carpet beetle (Anthrenus
flavipes) (National Park Service, 2014). There is a small mud-like accretion located in the same lower
portion of Drape 2 measuring approximately 15cm wide (Figure 5).

Extending across the full width of the drape, a tidemark measuring approximately 30cm stretches down from
the curtain tape on drape 2, indicative of some form of water damage (Figure 7)(‘Tidemark’, n.d.). When
asked if he knew the origin, Roy was uncertain; it could have occurred at any time during the fabric’s
lifespan and indeed could well have been the result of its initial voyage to New Zealand following
manufacture (R. Smith, personal communication, 24 March 2021). Faults made during the production of the
fabric – namely missing lines of colour in the patterning – are visible in both drapes and can be seen on both
the front and reverse (Figure 10).

Curtain tape has been sewn along the top edge of both drapes, with evidence of hanging visible through
wear around the holes as well as a distinctive pattern of discolouration and fading (Figure 3). The outer
edges have small, uneven seams leading both drapes to have irregular widths. The lower edge has been left
raw, suggesting that these were either in the process of being made when originally stored, or – when
combined with their length – more likely were intended to be used as a sort of backdrop or display (R.
Smith, personal communication, 24 March 2021). Regardless of their initial purpose, the pattern of fading to
the colours on the front and discolouration on the reverse and curtain tape show that they were used for a
considerable period in direct sunlight before being passed on to Roy.
 Figure 7 – Left: Part of the
tidemark visible on Drape 2,
which extends across the width of
the drape.

Figure 8 – Below: A comparison

of Drape 1 (Left) and Drape 2
(Right) showing the fading that
has occurred. This fading is
visible on both drapes in fairly
uniform sections, indicating it
occurred while the drapes were
hung.

You go back now to the time it

was made, and to the fabric
designer, the pattern designer
would sit down with a pencil on a
piece of paper and have to
physically draw all of those and
say ‘I want a red one here, a gold
one there, a blue one there, and
this is how the machine will be set’

…it’s just amazing.

(R. Smith, personal communication, 24 March 2021)
Part Two: Engaging with the Drapes
Ending in the 1840s, the industrial revolution brought with it a reactionary shift in both
fashions and worldviews surrounding the furnishing of households in New Zealand. Prior to
the 1900s, status and social rankings were tied almost exclusively to representations and
reproductions of British furniture and furnishings (Cottrell, 2013). For the middle-class,
homes often included a dedicated sitting room for visitors; these were a “confusion of styles,
with a mix of types of chair, papered walls covered in pictures, floral fabrics and an ample
supply of pot plants” (ibid.). By 1930, the fallout of the Wall Street Crash had reached New
Zealand putting a strain on imports and exports (Brooking & Enright, 1999, p. 129) 4. It was
amid this that Jane and her husband were working when the Hawke’s Bay earthquake struck.

When Roy first showed me the drapes, I was taken by their size, weight, and vibrance. I had
been expecting to see smaller sample of a dull, tapestry-like fabric that had degraded over the
years. Instead, it took two people to safely lift the drapes, and they at first glance looked and
felt almost untouched by the near-century5 that had passed since their creation. The quality of
the material and its many silken inclusions inferred a sense of luxury and significant expense;
Roy suggested that such a material, if made to the same standard, would easily fetch several
hundred dollars per meter in the current marketplace (R. Smith, personal communication, 24
March 2021).

Figure 9 - An example of the sewing flaws present across both drapes

4
See also Burdon, 1965, p. 129
5
While we do not have an exact date for when the material was made, it can be reasonably suggested that it
would have been some time in the early to mid-1920s.
For Roy, however, the seeing the drapes triggered a completely different response:

Well, it’s like living history. It’s a historical thing that was back then, and it is now, and it’s
exactly the same as it was back then. And anything I would do to it would destroy it or alter
it, and I don’t think I should. So emotionally it is very emotional, it is…It doesn’t actually
belong with me, although she gave it to me. But I’m not from Napier. I love textiles, but
where it is now, rolled up into a garage is…it’s like imprisoned. I think that’s what I would
say. When I unrolled it and showed you, it’s that…it’s a bit silly I know, a bit poetic or
whatever, but it looked like it’s free. It’s got this freedom. (R. Smith, personal
communication, 24 March 2021)

While there was little information regarding the drapes’ provenance attained, what was
gathered told a story of sadness. Roy reflected that when he had asked Jane about them, she
had been reluctant to discuss the earthquake but he did learn that a friend of hers had died
during the event; “I remember she was sad…I think she saved it because it was meaningful to
her, and that was the only thing that she had from the earthquake” (R. Smith, personal
communication, 24 March 2021).

Figure 10 - A manufacturing flaw is visible in both the front and reverse of the drape
Part Three: Statement of Significance
The drapes are associated with the Hawke’s Bay earthquake of 1931, as they were saved from
an upholstery factory when the quake struck. This is important because they are a tangible
snapshot of style at that period, as well as showing what was considered to be so important it
was worth saving. They were in a factory where someone died, and thus are a link to that
person and their loved ones as well. They show they style of drapery that was in New
Zealand homes in the early twentieth century and are an example of the high quality of fabric
making at the time; they showcase the use of the jacquard loom, brocatelle style and
incorporation of metallic silks at a time when there was a shift in manufacturing processes
taking place (Dreamstress, 2014). Textiles have remained an important part of society, “a
superfluous necessity” as Meller and Elffers (1991, p. 17) so aptly describe them. Drapes
such as this pair from Napier act as examples of a period of history, portraying the lifestyle of
people in the early 1900s.

The fabric is very well crafted and has been preserved remarkably well considering its age
and the period of use visible through the pattern of fading. The pattering is unique and
encapsulates multiple styles from the crossover of the Belle Epoque, Art Nouveau and Art
Deco periods; it was difficult to find comparative textiles which contained all of the unique
elements visible in this pair of drapes. The warp and weft of the base cotton fabric are
uniform in size, and the coloured metallic silk thread runs horizontally through, with the
motifs sitting slightly raised above the backing. Aesthetically, the drapes are beautiful to look
at, particularly when they are hung. The metallic silk has, in most places, retained its lustre
and the combination of bright colours against the dark background is eye-catching.

Roy Smith acquired the pair of drapes in the early 1970s, though the exact date of acquisition
is unknown. According to Roy’s account, they were gifted to him by a local woman who had
relocated from Napier to Auckland following the Hawke’s Bay Earthquake of 1931. There
was little other information regarding the provenance of the drapes, however their width and
jacquard style are indicative of having British or French origins. The fabric was likely made
in the early to mid-1920s. Following its arrival in New Zealand, the fabric was made into
drapes in an upholstery factory in Napier. While the exact factory is unknown, we can deduce
from Roy’s account that it was likely a factory in which there were fatalities in the
earthquake.
 Additional information gathered from museums housing similar textiles provide information
around the manufacturing processes and materials particular to this fabric as mentioned
above. In search of comparative textiles, no similar combination of geometric and floral
patterning could be found; this fabric seems to be fairly unique in its presentation of Belle
Epoque, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco influences (Meller & Elffers, 1991). The closest
matches came from a gouache on paper from France, and a 19th Century brocade from The
Metropolitan Museum (Meller & Elffers, 1991, p. 103; The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
n.d.). These samples also lend weight to the estimated dating of the drapes as 1900-1920s.
Figure 11 - Patterned Ground: Geometric. France, c. 1900-1910, gouache on Figure 12 – 19th Century Brocade, attributed to India. From The Metropolitan
Considering
paper. From Meller thep.103.
& Elffers, 1991, age of the drapes, Roy Smith’s Museumstorage method has kept the material in
of Art, n.d.

remarkably good condition. The drapes are completely intact, and the curtaining tape and
patterns of fading indicate how they were used prior to being stored (Figure 11). They have
not had any restoration work done on them, meaning that aside from natural modifications
(i.e. insect activity) made while stored the drapes are in the same state that they were when
originally stored.
Though their provenance relies on the account given by Roy some 50 years after the fact, the
drapes are an important and unique representation of a stylistic movement, a major
manufacturing process, and provide a tangible link to one of the most significant events in
New Zealand’s history.

A guy would probably save his hammer, his tools, his bottle of beer in
the corner, or bottle of whisky that some customer had given to him,
rather than a piece of fabric that was half-sewn. So I think that she
saved it because it was meaningful to her, and that was the only thing
that she had from the earthquake . . . I’ve often thought ‘why did she
come up to Auckland, in a rest home, with that piece of fabric?
Why did it come with her?
It must have been very special to her.
(R. Smith, personal communication, 24 March 2021)

Figure 13 - Fading, particularly in the lustre of the blue silk, is visible here due to use
 Bibliography
Burdon, R. M. (1965). The new dominion; a social and political history of New Zealand,
1918-39 (Auckland 993.032 Bur). Allen & Unwin. http://ezproxy.massey.ac.nz/login?
url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=cat00245a&AN=massey.b1100286&site=eds-live&scope=site
Deadly Hawke’s Bay earthquake | NZHistory, New Zealand history online. (n.d.). Retrieved
22 March 2021, from https://nzhistory.govt.nz/hawkes-bay-earthquake-0
Dress and Textile Specialists. (2019, March). Identifying-Woven-Textiles-1750-1950.pdf.
https://www.dressandtextilespecialists.org.uk/wp-
content/uploads/2019/03/Identifying-Woven-Textiles-1750-1950.pdf
Meller, S., & Elffers, J. (1991). Textile Designs: Two Hundred Years of European and
American Patterns Organised by Motif, Style, Color, Layout, and Period. Harry N.
Abrams, Inc.
Prown, J. D. (1982). Mind in Matter: An Introduction to Material Culture Theory and
Method. Winterthur Portfolio, 17(1), 1–19.
Russell, R., & Winkworth, K. (2009). Significance 2.0: A guide to assessing the significance
of collections (Manawatu 363.690994 Rus; 2nd ed). Collections Council of Australia.
http://ezproxy.massey.ac.nz/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=cat00245a&AN=massey.b2196338&site=eds-live&scope=site
Serious Earthquakes. (1931, February 3). Waikato Times, 7.
Smith, R. (2021, March 24). [Personal communication].
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (n.d.). Brocade. The Met. Retrieved 28 March 2021, from
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/447403
Tidemark. (n.d.). Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material. Retrieved 27
March 2021, from https://aiccm.org.au/vg/tidemark/
 Material Culture Study: Hawke’s Bay Drapes

Appendix I: INFORMATION SHEET

Researcher Introduction
My name is April Claasen, and I am undertaking a Material Culture Study on a pair of drapes
retrieved from a factory during the Hawke’s Bay earthquake of 1931. This is my first
assignment of my Post Graduate Diploma in Museum Studies at Massey University.

Project Description and Invitation

The project involves researching the history of the drapes; where they came from, how they
were made, what they were used for and how they came to be where they are today.
Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the drapes will be undertaken, noting their condition and
physical measurements, as well as discussing their overall significance. I invite you to be a
part of this process through the sharing of your knowledge.

Participant Identification and Recruitment

As the drapes have been in your possession for several decades, your story is integral to
learning their history and significance. Beyond that, your extensive experience in the
upholstery industry provides useful insights into the ways in which fabric was made and
used. For these reasons your voice is highly valued for this project. At this stage, you will be
the only formally interviewed participant for this project. Time constraints and the nature of
the work mean that adding more at this time is not a feasible option. However, if you know of
someone who may lend useful insights for future work on the drapes, this information would
be greatly appreciated. There is no paid/koha reimbursement for this project, however you
will have full access to the finished document upon its completion. There are no foreseeable
risks or discomforts in your participation, however what is recorded, transcribed and
published from your interview will be at your discretion; if there are any points within the
conversation that you feel uncomfortable sharing or would like redacted, please do let me
know.

Project Procedures
Your participation will involve sitting down for an interview which should take 45-60
minutes. This will be held at a café (or similar public setting if you would prefer) and will be
recorded (audio only) and transcribed by myself within two days. You will then receive a
copy of the transcription for approval prior to publication. At this time, there are no
foreseeable conflicts of financial interest and/or role.

School of People, Environment and Planning

Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North, New Zealand
06 356 9099|http://pep.massey.ac.nz
Data Management
Your interview will be used in a written document to be submitted for assessment to Massey
University. Once obtained, the recording of your interview will be labelled and securely
stored on a laptop and a backup on a USB memory stick; the recording will not be stored on
any ‘cloud’ internet storage to ensure confidentiality. The recording will be stored until July
1st, 2021 and will then be deleted by myself unless consent has been provided by you, the
interviewee, for archiving. A copy of both the recording and the transcript will also be
provided to you for you to retain at your discretion. If you would like to access the completed
project, please email me and I will send you a copy (my contact details are located at the end
of this document).

Participant’s Rights
You are under no obligation to accept this invitation. If you decide to participate, you have
the right to:

 Decline to answer any particular question;

 Withdraw from the study (this must be done prior to Monday, March 29th 2021);
 Ask any questions about the study at any time during participation;
 Provide information on the understanding that your name will not be used unless you
give permission to the researcher;
 Be given access to a summary of the project findings when it is concluded;
 Ask for the recorder to be turned off at any time during the interview.

Project Contacts
Researcher
April Claasen April.Claasen.1@uni.massey.ac.nz 027 460 0590
Supervisor
Dr. Susan Abasa S.F.Abasa@massey.ac.nz 06 356 9099 ext 83658

Low Risk Notification

This project has been evaluated by peer review and judged to be low risk. Consequently, it
has not been reviewed by one of the University’s Human Ethics Committees. The
researcher(s) named above are responsible for the ethical conduct of this research.

School of People, Environment and Planning

Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North, New Zealand
06 356 9099|http://pep.massey.ac.nz
If you have any concerns about the conduct of this research that you wish to raise with
someone other than the researcher(s), please contact Prof Craig Johnson, Director, Research
Ethics, telephone 06 356 9099 x 85271, email humanethics@massey.ac.nz.

Compensation for Injury

If physical injury results from your participation in this study, you should visit a treatment
provider to make a claim to ACC as soon as possible. ACC cover and entitlements are not
automatic and your claim will be assessed by ACC in accordance with the Accident
Compensation Act 2001. If your claim is accepted, ACC must inform you of your
entitlements, and must help you access those entitlements. Entitlements may include, but not
be limited to, treatment costs, travel costs for rehabilitation, loss of earnings, and/or lump
sum for permanent impairment. Compensation for mental trauma may also be included, but
only if this is incurred as a result of physical injury.
If your ACC claim is not accepted you should immediately contact the researcher and the
research supervisor at Massey. The researcher will initiate processes to ensure you receive
compensation equivalent to that to which you would have been entitled had ACC accepted
your claim.

School of People, Environment and Planning

Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North, New Zealand
06 356 9099|http://pep.massey.ac.nz