Fabric printing block

Before the Second World War, the presented stamp was in the collection of the Pommersches Landesmuseum Stettin. Presumably, before it ended up in the museum, it was used in one of the small-town printing shops which were quite common in 19th century Pomerania. Their services were very popular, as printed fabrics were considered to be durable and elegant. However, the small shops have begun to deteriorate during the dynamic development of the modern textile industry. Many of them were liquidated and in the first half of the 20th century only a few remained. A stamp was used to cover the fabric with an ornament using a batik printing technique. It involved impressing the pattern with insulating resist and then soaking the fabric with dye. After removing the resist, the pattern remained on the fabric unpainted and contrasted the coloured background. Thanks to small nails put on the corners of the stamp which left small marks in the fabric, the printer knew where to place the stamp next to ensure the continuity of the design. The ornament on the displayed stamp was made using brass pins and plates nailed into the wooden block. The design consists of short, flowered twigs, placed in a chequered pattern. The pattern is particularly light and clear thanks to considerable white space between the elements of design. This solution was commonly applied on the stamps used in batik printing.