Vintage All-Wool Famous Holland Tulip Trade Blanket by Orr Felt & Blanket Co. GORGEOUS!

This blanket is a stunning piece of American industrial textile history! It isn't a hand-pieced quilt, but rather a classic jacquard-woven wool trade blanket from an incredibly collectible historic midwestern mill. Measures 68x84. Amazing condition!

The label alone makes it an amazing archive piece. Here is the background on its manufacturer, design history, and unique material qualities:

1. The Manufacturer: The Orr Felt & Blanket Company

As proudly displayed on the gorgeous satin label, this blanket was manufactured by The Orr Felt & Blanket Company in Piqua, Ohio.

• The History: Founded in the late 19th century by General William P. Orr, the Piqua mill became legendary for producing top-tier, heavy-duty industrial papermaker felts and exceptionally thick, high-quality consumer wool blankets.

• The Era: The typography, the windmill logo, and the layout of this specific "Orr Health" tag point to the 1930s through the 1940s. During this golden age of American blanket mills (competing with the likes of Pendleton, Woolrich, and Chatham), companies routinely created specialized thematic lines to capture the home decor market.

2. The Design: The "Famous Holland Tulip"

The label explicitly states: "This gorgeous coloring is inspired by the famous Holland Tulip."

• Jacquard Weaving: This pattern was achieved using a Jacquard loom, which allowed the mill to weave complex, curvilinear organic shapes directly into the structure of the fabric.

• The Layout: the design features an Elegant central trellis or diamond lattice network. Anchoring the four corners are massive, stylized, sweeping tulip blossoms flanked by delicate smaller florals and leaf trails.

• The Negative-Positive Reverse: One of the most beautiful elements of a genuine jacquard wool weave. The blanket is entirely reversible, creating a striking "negative/positive" image. The front features dusty rose tulips resting on a cream background, while the reverse side flips the color story completely, showing cream tulips floating on a solid, rich field of deep rose wool.

3. Material & Condition: "All Wool" Utility

• The Fiber: The label guarantees "All Wool" fabric. Blankets from this era were heavily napped (brushed) after weaving to pull up the loose fibers, creating a dense, lofty, and incredibly warm insulating layer.

• Edge Finishing: Look closely at the top and bottom edges. Instead of a silk binding (which often frayed and disintegrated over time), this utility blanket features a structural blanket stitch along the raw edge, keeping the heavy weave perfectly secure.

It is an incredibly well-preserved example of mid-century industrial craftsmanship. The coloring remains remarkably vibrant, and having that original, crisp label intact makes it a fantastic collector's piece!