Rug and Textile Arts: A Periodical Index, 1890-1982

Velvet fragment, Safavid, Iran, 16th century (source: The Textile Museum).

The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C. is one of the foremost collections specializing in the textile arts of the world. In addition to their collection of rugs and textiles, the Textile Museum is also the home of the Arthur D. Jenkins Library of Textile Arts.

In 1983 G. K. Hall & Company published Rug and Textile Arts: A Periodical Index, 1890-1982. Like many of the portfolio bibliographies published by G. K. Hall, this volume consists of images from a library's card catalog files. These volume provides a selective index to articles found in over 300 periodicals in their collection, quite a few of which are also part of our collection. This index covers all aspects of textiles, such as costume, dyes and dying, embroidery, fiber art, lace, rugs, twining and weaving. It is particularly useful in exploring these arts in antiquity and in folk and ethnic contexts.

While the organization of this printed source remains useful, today there is more convenient access to this information through the Textile Muse database offered by the Museum. In addition to the author, title and subject access offered by the bibliography, Textile Muse also provides keyword access to the subject.

The print and online resources of the Textile Museum provide an avenue for in-depth research that goes far beyond the library’s catalog and beyond search engines.


Rug and Textile Arts: A Periodical Index 1890-1982 / The Textile Museum, Arthur D. Jenkins Library (G.K. Hall, 1983).

Textile Muse - the database of the Arthur D. Jenkins Library of Textile Arts.

Exhibitions catalogs of The Textile Museum at the San Francisco Public Library.