Passementerie

Braid, edging, tassels, fringes and trimmings fall under the heading of passementerie.

http://www.mywire.com/a/Grove-Enc-Decorative-Arts/Passementerie/9469322/?&pbl=105

Given the importance of all this to Uniforms one might think there would be some little mention of it - but its like all aspects of the manufacture of Uniform - rarely considered.

I have Rene Heutte "Le Livre de la Passementerie" 1972 which is extremely good - covering furnishings to military uniforms - including a few Rousselot drawings (from 'L'Armee Francaise Types et Uniformes'). Mainly concerned with types and manufacture with plenty of examples (everything seemed to have passementerie on it - from carriages to cushions).

I haven't seen the exhibition catalogue:'‎Des Dorelotiers aux Passementiers' Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, 1973 (Dorelotiers = caning?).

Once upon a time - in the 1980's - I knew someone who made tassels and like upholstery items. He had found by chance a workshop which was extremely long and very narrow - an unused corridor. Inside he had set up his rope making machinery - wooden, quite crude but effective. He started with Sylko thread and ended up with the decorative tassels that finished curtains and the like. I guess that sort of thing is all made in China now...

 

The African cavalryman is an interesting counter image to the Napoleonic Drummer!! The peculiar black block and layout is kind of how the book is in places....