THE HISTORY OF TABLE LINENS, FROM CLOTH TO DISPOSABLES

The tablecloth from its origins to nonwoven fabric
When did the history of the tablecloth begin? How did we arrive at the variety of different styles and fabrics? Can the past serve as our inspiration for dressing our restaurant tables?

Today we are dealing with a curious topic that may, however, give you interesting hints to make your style even more original through tablecloths.

The origins of the tablecloth, between sacred rituals and banquets
The tablecloth was used among various ancient peoples as sacred furniture, but its use as an object for the table apparently dates back to the Romans.

In the earliest times it was a carpet-like cloth; later, around 1st century CE, it will instead become more like the cloths used to cover altars-very similar, that is, to what we use today. It seems that Emperor Titus Flavius Domitian in particular wanted to restore dignity and elegance to the banquet through this new custom. He wanted the communal meal and particularly the public banquets to be a time of sacredness and not a disorderly gorging of food.

Whatever the intentions, this is where the history of modern tablecloths begins, with wealthier families beginning to display increasingly precious and refined tablecloths (such as fabrics, colors, embroidery) as true status symbols.

The white linen tablecloth, precious and symbolically linked to the concept of purity, will instead be used for altars after the rise of Catholicism.

Finally, the modern napkin can be traced back to the sudarium with which diners dried their faces and hands.

The tablecloth as a status symbol from the Middle Ages to the 1,700s.
For long centuries the tablecloth remained the preserve of the wealthier classes. Styles followed one another and alternated from one century to the next, recalling the many transformations of clothing fashions:

  • In the 1200s-1300s we see white tablecloths, decorated with partridge eye or elaborate and colorful flounces or brightly colored tablecloths depending on the moment. Sometimes we find brightly colored and scented tablecloths, to be changed according to the course in order to maintain a flawless color (and smell) effect at all times.
  • Also in the 1300s, embroidery ledecorations begin, often very elaborate.
  • In the 1,400s "perugine" became popular: white tablecloths edged with blue bands, decidedly more sober.
  • In the 1,500s embroidery returns, often rich and lavish.

...and so on. One has to wait until the 1600s, with the Baroque, to see the first damask fabrics, while the 1700s again record the rise of white, with plain tablecloths in fine fabrics and so wide as to reach to the floor.

Each era then saw alternating areas of different production, technological innovations, and more distinctive colors. Flanders and some areas of Italy, such as Assisi, became famous for the quality of their production.

The tablecloth in the 1960s

Throughout the 1,800s, however, tablecloths remain prized items-not at all a fixture in the wedding trousseaus of wealthy families.

Instead, they became a mass phenomenon beginning with the economic boom of the 1960s, when industrialized production systems (which cut costs) and greater consumer wealth intersected.

Tablecloths and napkins thus became indispensable items for hygiene and table decorum.

The Italian textile industry rises to the challenge: historic brands expand their household linen production to include tablecloths and napkins.

Materials, motifs, shapes and colors multiplied to reflect the current variety, although it is curious to note how some variants, first and foremost white linen cloths, have arrived virtually unchanged to the present day.

Inspirations for nonwoven tablecloths

Such a long history can be a sure inspiration for creating tablecloths that stand out even with inexpensive and practical materials such as nonwoven fabric.

For example.

  • Modern prints can take up motifs popular in different historical eras: for example, classic damask patterns.
  • Certain geometric patterns, hunting or banquet scenes can create pleasantly retro atmospheres.
  • For a downtown venue, one could be inspired by the heyday of one's city, for example, drawing on the colors of the Renaissance or the fashions of the 1,800s.
  • Or why not take up particular customs, such as scenting the tablecloths(obviously with mild scents compatible with the type of food served in the venue)?