Picotage dates back to the eighteenth century and is a method of block printing that was also known as pinning. The wood carver, unable to cut very fine dots in relief in his wooden block, developed the technique of studding the block with brass pins. These different sized pins would be strategically placed to create the effect of highlight and shadow on the printed cloth. The original and very accomplished skill was very laborious and is no longer used as a printing method, but the look that it created has remained part of our vocabulary, as it captures this old-fashioned block printed look. We have chosen 7 designs from our archives and reproduced them in 3 different colourways, reminiscent of the way that these prints would have been seen originally. Black and white has always been a classic combination and the warm beige and terracotta highlighted with cream, are both shades popular at the turn of the century.
