Worthy of a Toile (she said)
by Heather 19 May 2012Toile fabrics, short for Toile de Jouy, originated in France in the town of Jouy in the 18th Century (thanks, Wikipedia). Typically depicting pastoral scenes, complicated designs repeat in a single color (usually dark blue, burgundy or black) on a neutral background. Toile continues to be popular, especially for draperies and upholstery.
Toile fabric sample – for sale today
Windmill in rural Bourgogne
Charolais cattle
The views on our journey south from our winter-over spot in Baye toward Decize on the Canal du Nivernais mirror these bucolic scenes. White Charolais cattle graze in green fields dotted with buttercups or placidly chew their cud in the shade of solitary, ancient oaks. Sheep and horses pasture near rural chateaux. All that was missing were villagers in period clothing!
Rural chateau, cattle and horses graze on the grounds
“La Fête” traditional Toile design from the end of the 18th Century
Heather, you are the visual one. How exciting to see history pass as you progress on the canals. It is fun to see how closely today’s scenery matches the past in the pieces of toile fabric. Maybe you could do a documentary with fabric leading a segway to the real scenery. Hmm
Mom — it’s actually a bit creepy that you mention this. I was imagining a similar series of segues in a film using the toile as the bridge between the old and the modern. Hmmm …. must be genetic that we think so much alike!