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Gallery Stair: Collection of Hermès Scarves
On View: Permanent
Beginning as a tack company for horses in the early 1800’s, Hermès handcrafted harnesses and bridles for carriages in Paris, France. The company eventually expanded and added other items, including scarves.
The first scarf was introduced in 1937 and was based on a woodblock drawing by a Hermès family member. Modern day scarves are woven from the silk of cocoons spun by silkworms farmed at the Hermès owned facility in Brazil. All hems are hand-rolled and hand-stitched. Hermès scarves are individually screen printed, and designers have over 70,000 color tones from which to choose. A scarf takes more than 200 people from inception to production including designers, weavers, colorists, and printers.
Hermès has over 2000 unique designs; the horse motif is the most popular. Some of the Hermès scarves were designed by Kermit Oliver, who was the only American to ever design scarves for Hermès. The scarves that were chosen for this gallery represent the various partnerships and intersections of the horse, the land, and people. You can find elements of the many ways horses have been viewed as partner, as competitor, as muse, and as simply an object of beauty. This collection is now currently on display on both stairwells leading to the second floor immersive exhibits.
