The Grimshaw Brothers sample books document the output of the Grimshaw Brothers silk mill from 1895 to 1904. This Reading, Pennsylvania mill was built in 1887 and rebuilt in 1889 following a tornado which destroyed much of the original building. The mill would have employed between 300-400 girls and women to spin and weave silk cloth from imported fiber. The fabric samples contained in these books, although small, preserve the rich colors and textures of this century-old fabric.

This gallery includes a sampler of these important documents of the United States silk weaving industry.