These pure linen tea towels have served the French nation for more than 150 years or so. They have become part of daily life and are almost like an institution. They became very popular in the late 18th ,early 19th Century with their blood red vertical lines. There were variations in the red lines, either a solid red or several thinner red lines, but always with the background of the pure off white linen as background and ideal for polishing glasses etc. In the early to mid 20th Century the French were searching for a change and the tea towels were put in the trousseaux armoires ( dowry's) for another day like fashion. New designs were introduced such as checks ,stripes and particularly others with more multi colour finishes in cotton and thinner materials. They were not an instant success and of recent date there has been a resurgence for the old well established tea towels and has generated enormous demand for a new generation who were not brought up with this "patrimony" look". They are so decorative for country kitchens and of course stand up to hard washing techniques when in the early 20th C.much of the linen was "beaten" on stones in the local washhouses on a small stream outside the French villages. I have been able to obtain a collection of tea towels and all of them coming from one French family and most them are as new and very little used. These tea towels would be bought by the dozen and multitudes thereof. The tea towels have three "red battens" ( red borders ) in blood red, one wide one in the centre and on either side framed with 2 thinner lines and are hand embroidered with almost Roman letters initialled M.D..'( see reverse photo for hand embroidered ) Each item, particularly in the French Aristocratic families ,would be either numbered or initialled. PLEASE NOTE: There are 6 further tea towels with this design in the auction.