Orig 1868 Oriental Print Works Patriotic Santa Claus

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This is a fantastic original and rare, printed linen of Santa Claus with four (4) other Christmas scenes in corners and is from 1868. It was in a frame resting on velvet backing with the following typed note attached to back: "Corey Webber Uri 6/26/1871-2/1934. This "Santa" was given to my father, Corey W. Urie, when he was a young boy-perhaps 8 to 10 years old. It was kept by him and later by his daughter, Marion V. Urie, who framed it in 1988 and is signed by Marion V. Urie on May 14, 1991". NOTE: A collector of Edward Peck designed Santa's sent me the following information. "This textile was designed by Edward Peck for the Oriental Print Works in 1868..very rare. He also designed a cut-out make your own doll,a babies first christmas stocking (with santa on the back) and this fabric full sheet craft piece.This santa is one of the first times santa was shown as patriotic!! Which is what makes it so rare. So I am guessing it was in the family and then given to Corey at later date. I removed it from the frame and it is being sold without the frame (could have been framed much nicer in a higher quality frame) but the note on back will be cut from the cardboard and sent with linen. The linen looks like it was originally sewn only along the left and right side edges while the top and bottom edges appear clean cut with no raveling. Just a few small spots or red bleed at top and bottom border. The rest is crisp with no holes or tears or moth holes and very clean. This has a great dual collectability both for the Santa collector (when might you ever find another) and for the very early textile collector. Note that on the sled it says "Oriental Print Works" which helps date it as they went out of business in 1883. It measures 17" x 24" and is bright and clean with no noticible fading. I found the following on a Warwock Rhode Island link that tells much more about the history of this stunning textile. "Reed & Boit Alfred A. Reed had made his fortune in the East India trade. After 1857, Reed, whose business took him to the Far East, established the Oriental Mills north of Providence. One of his partners, Edward D. Boit, found Apponaug a most desirable site for the establishment of a print works. Boit told Reed that Apponaug was an ideal place as, "The situation is healthy and prettyâe"good for help and cheap for living and as fine a location as any other for Steam Cotton Mills." Boit explained that he was able to get "refusal of the property for$14,000." The reason that such a favorable site was available he added, was because "The man (Greene) is in trouble." Boit boasted, "Jordan Marsh & Co. have got scent of it and wrote to the owner. I saw him--but I was a day ahead of that active firm and have the refusal..." The waters of Cowesett Pond Boit extolled the fact that the water at Cowesett Pond. or Gorton's Pond as it is now called, was excellent for their purposes. He wrote, "...the water from this 300 acre pond is like Chrystal, and no other party can interfere with it." He said, "I do not count at all on the water power although that can easily be made available to about 70 horsepower and would be of great service in reducing the cost of manufacturing. But the entire control of the 300 acre Pond of the purest water is invaluable in Print Works for bleaching and washing." Establishing a print works The proposition which Boit offered, and which Reed accepted, required a capital outlay of approximately $60.000. This, according to Boit, would enable the company to print "...5000 pieces per week, cheaper by quite a few cents than any other printers in R.I." The Oriental Print works was able to rival the production of the Clyde Print Works in the western section of Warwick, and later with the acquisition of six additional printing machines, was able to produce 10,000 pieces per week. A change in Apponaug The establishment of such a large enterprise as the Oriental Print Works meant a number of changes in Apponaug. In addition to the Greene textile mill, the purchase by Reed and his partners included one large tenement house and o... read more

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