This series of punched cards, connected together by string, controlled a Jacquard loom. They date from 1926, when they were used by Warner & Sons of Braintree, Essex.

The Jacquard loom, invented in the first decade of the 19th century, was a device fitted to a power loom that simplified the process of manufacturing textiles with complex patterns like brocade and damask. Joseph Marie Jacquard recognised that although weaving was intricate, it was repetitive, and saw that a mechanism could be developed for the production of sophisticated patterns just as it had been done for the production of simple patterns.  Punch cards like these items in our collection were used to guide the loom, in much the same way as a player piano is controlled by punched cards. Their use can be seen as a form of programming - the automated, variable control of machinery.

Operating on the same principle, punched cards were commonly used to program computers up until the 1970s.  For this reason, Jacquard's invention is viewed by some as a precursor of modern computing science.

The donor of these cards provided us with the following information:

"..These cards date from around 1926 when they were first cut at Warner & Sons New Mills in Braintree Essex to weave the damask for Hampton Court Palace. They have the job written on them which adds a certain interest. They are fragile but still intact and show the program for a twill tie construction in the weave of the cloth. We still weave this pattern today which can be seen on our website and downloaded. I saved the cards in 1971 when Warner shut down at Braintree, and still have the machine in store that used them. The setting of the card layout of eight selections across the card was a standard that many looms adapted across much of the industry from 1820’s onwards. The black marks reveal where the needles in the machine were physically pushed to select in the process of weaving.  This format gave way to smaller and more refined systems as engineering progressed through the 19th Century..."

and

"..Cards were cut in widths of single rows to 12 holes across x 50 rows gave you a 600 hook selection. These cards were difficult to cut as your thumbs as well as all 8 fingers were used for the punch positions on the piano card cutter – we kept to 8 holes across for speed and my card cutter could cut a 400 card in less than one minute, so 400 pitch was the best layout for speed. The 600 (12x50) gave you the ability to have richer design – I would recommend reading Hand Weaving by Luther Hooper if you want more detail on compound harnesses which needed 600 hooks in the Jacquard. There is an article about Jacquard on our website which is a free download..."