For one reason and another this week I've been spending a good deal of time checking out the Powerhouse Museum's website.
The website has got lots of features and cool things on it. So many in fact that they are all fighting for space or real estate on the site. It is very easy to navigate, but sometimes difficult to remember exactly where you saw that thing the day before that you wanted to come back to but didn't bother bookmarking.
I may mention a few of the cool things and a few oddball items in the collection over the next few days, but today, just check out the Electronic Swatchbook.
"Through this site we are providing access to this rich resource for future generations of designers"
.
"Swatches or small samples of fabric have been collected and compiled in the form of swatchbooks for at least 300 years. The Powerhouse Museum has several volumes containing thousands of bright, unfaded samples of fashionable fabric designs, braids and laces ranging from the 1830s to the 1920s.
The patterns on this site are in the public domain in Australia."
This screen shot hardly does justice to it:
Included in this screenshot are swatches from the 1840s to the 1920s.
As well as being able to download and email swatches, you are also encouraged to use a submission window to help describe the swatches:
" We are adding the ability to search by colour, pattern, mood and other facts. Your submissions will be added to our search database."
The Powerhouse Museum is big into soliciting information from the public which adds to the knowledge they have about items in their massive collection. I'll also give some examples of this in the next few days.
Comments