Lister Comb, Black Dyke Mill, Queensbury, Bradford

Made:
1987 in Bradford
photographer:
Ian Beesley
'Lister Comb, Black Dyke Mill, Queensbury, Bradford', about 1986

'Lister Comb, Black Dyke Mill, Queensbury, Bradford', about 1986
Ian Beesley/Science Museum Group
© Ian Beesley

Gelatine silver print entitled 'Lister Comb, Black Dyke Mill, Queensbury, Bradford' by Ian Beesley. Produced for the commission `Through the Mill:, The Story of Yorkshire Wool in Photographs'.1985-1987'.

Combing is a distinct process in the making of worsted as opposed to woollen yarn. The combing machine straightens the wool, separating out the short fibres into an unwanted 'noil' and the longest fibres ('tops') into a long sliver. Here the 'nip' comb (patented by Samuel Cunliffe Lister in 1845) prepares to receive a series of card slivers.

[Table 50: Through the Mill - The Story of Yorkshire Wool in Photographs, by Ian Beesley and Introduction by Gary Firth]

Details

Category:
Photographs
Object Number:
1991-5061/89
Measurements:
overall: 387 mm x 487 mm
type:
silver gelatin print
credit:
The National Media Museum, Bradford