Fabric printing block

In the ethnographic archives of the National Museum in Szczecin, there is a large collection of over a hundred pieces of textile printing blocks. These are wooden stamps, mostly consisting of two boards joined together, used for impressing the patterns on fabrics by hand. The presented stamp comes from the collection of the Pommersches Landesmuseum Stettin. It is densely covered with a floral design consisting of flowers with open crowns of four or more petals and with stalks. They are depicted in the top view, typical for textile printing. The stamp is an example of a technique in which a wooden design is supplemented with brass pins. These types of stamps appeared as the textile printing methods progressed. Initially, the designs were entirely carved in wood, but in time small pins and metal plates were added, which made it possible to print tiny elements and obtain fine shapes. The stamps which are closest to our times have ornaments made entirely of metal pieces, often arranged into very sophisticated patterns.