Brantley collection

The textile pieces in the Brantley collection were subjected to historical research and microscopic analysis. These were done to verify the information already existing on the collection, to identify those fragments for which information was missing, to classify the fragments as textiles, and to identify the metallic threads that were part of the textiles. 

Of the 64 fragments in the Brantley collection, 61 were found to be woven of silk, 1 was woven of silk and wool, 1 was woven of silk and cotton, and 1 was woven of cotton. Fifty of the samples contained metallic yams all were flat metal strips wound around silk yams in a spiral fashion except one which was woven flat without the core. These metallic yams were used both for ground fabric and for brocading. 

A COLLECTION OF PERSIAN TEXTILE FRAGMENTS has been a part of the historic fabric collection in the Department of Consumer Affairs at Auburn University for a number of years. One of us (F. J. D.) initiated an investigation to determine how the fabrics came to be in the collection and what were their origins. The answer to the first question is incomplete. Apparently the textiles were originally donated to the Department of Textile Engineering by Oliver W. Brantley. Because of interest in the historic aspects, the collection was loaned to the Department of Consumer Affairs shortly thereafter. Brantley had made notes of identification that accompanied each of the 64 pieces in the collection. Just who Brantley was and how he came to possess the fabrics is still, after extensive inquiries, not known. 

The collection itself is made up of 64 fragments ranging in size from a 3.0- X 8.0-cm triangle to a 37.7- X 42.0-cm rectangle. Each fragment was accompanied by notes of identification, presumably written by Brantley. 

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