Name/Title
StereographEntry/Object ID
2023.055.3.0267Description
A black and white stereograph. Image is of men harvesting flax from a river, a village with many stacks of harvested flax are seen on the opposite bank. Above the image "T346 (Star)" is printed, below the image "V25505 Retting Flax, Courtrai, Belgium." is printed, to the left of the image "Keystone View Company Copyrighted. Underwood & Underwood Inc. Manufacturers MADE IN U.S.A. Publishers" is printed, to the right of the image "Meadville, Pa., New York, N. Y., Chicago, Ill., London, England." is printed. On the reverse the following is printed:
398-(V25505)
RETTING FLAX, COURTAI, BELGIUM
This picture was taken in western Belgium about ten miles from the French boundary. The flax stalks which you see held down in the water of ther river Lys by those heavy stones are being "retted" (rotted) to make the bark separate from the inner fibers and to loosen the close-packed parallel fibers so that they may be separated for spinning. Not all kinds of water would answer the purpose - it must be soft and free from iron or other mineral substances that might stain the fibers. The length of time given to the process is something which requires the most careful judgement; a few hours too few or too many may make a great difference in the quality and value of the flax. If taken out too soon, the fibers will still adhere to the bark, and be broken when the bark is removed. If left in too long, the fiber will lose its strength, break and tangle, and afterwards get mixed with the coarser tow.
The bundles you see over there on the farther bank are just as they were brought form the fields where they were cut and dried. Other bundles have been piled up into stacks, awaiting their turn to be rotted, "broken," "swingled" (cleaned by a beating process), and "hatcheled" (combed from the coarser tow), ready for spinning.
In the near-by town thousands of people work at home and in great factories, producing lace and fine table linens for the export trade. Forty million dollars' worht of raw flax and linen yarns are annually exported from this one small kingdom.
Copyright by The Keystone View CompanyCollection
Photograph Collection