Label of a Leiden 'Van Wijk' blanket (TRC 2021.1344). The label says: "Anno 1795 HOLLAND 100% VIRGIN WOOL  van Wijk  Leiden   LEIDSE GEGARANDEERD VAN WIJK 100%  ZUIVER WOL DEKEN"A few weeks ago the TRC Collection was augmented with a woollen blanket that was originally made in Leiden. It was produced by the now long-gone company of Van Wijk, which was located, it so happens, since 1863 not far from the present premises of the TRC. If you look out of the TRC’s front door then you can easily see the Van Wijk tower.

This ‘new’ blanket (TRC 2022.2711) can be added to three other blankets, also with a Leiden origin, which were included in the TRC Collection some time ago (TRC 2019.2148; TRC 2021.1344; TRC 2021.2195).

In the 19th and 20th century, Leiden was a city well-known for its blanket production. There was hardly a household in the Netherlands that did not have blankets made in Leiden. Famous names are Scheltema (established in 1817), Van Wijk (1815), Zaalberg (1814) and Zuurdeeg (1804).

In their heydays, they produced masses of blankets and employed hundreds of people. Alas, the last of the major blanket producers in Leiden, Van Wijk, closed its doors in 1976; the wide-spread introduction of duvets in Dutch households, and the production of blankets in countries with low wages, made the use of high-quality, but expensive woollen blankets from Leiden obsolete.

A collection of blankets of the Leidse Deken foundation. Photograph: Willem VogelsangIt so happens that last week the TRC was in contact with ‘De Leidse Deken’, a foundation of an enthusiastic group in Leiden that wants to draw attention to the ‘blanket-history’ of Leiden, and they have actually set up a workshop in an old building (1902) close to the gas factory of Leiden, more specifically at the Papegaaisbolwerk No. 18, close to the Langegracht, where visitors can see them on Tuesday and Thursday from 10.00-17.00 and on Saturday from 10.00 - 14.00.

There they are recreating the production of Leiden blankets. They are spinning and carding the wool, and weaving blanket samples on a number of looms that they were given by equally enthusiastic weavers.

Last Saturday we visited the workshop, and were intrigued by the work being carried out, and by the looms and other instruments that they had collected or had made themselves.

The TRC will be working together with this group of blanket-enthusiasts to help promote Leiden as a city of textiles (excuse me: textiles and blankets). Let’s call it a blanket agreement. ‘De Leidse Deken’ foundation can be contacted at: Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken..

Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, 22 January 2023