The weaving of fancy silk ribbons began in Coventry around 1700, and was a main industry there until 1860 when cheap foreign goods flooded the market. The Stevengraph trade name was coined by Thomas Stevens in about 1863 to describe his woven articles, and today that includes his silk pictures and portraits. He began in 1854 using the Jacquard loom to produce an infinite variety of items. The fashion for such gradually reduced until few were being produced in the 1920's, but the factory continued until blitzed in 1940. Many items were exported to the USA, and this explains their popularity there today. Stevens' main competitor was WH Grant of Foleshill, Coventry, although Stevens had a lead of many years. Some of Stevens' work was replicated by Grant to much the same size, so care must be taken not to confuse the two if this really matters. The items illustrated here are a small selection of the unframed stock. The framed items are shown at Fairs. If you are searching for a particular image or reference book then please contact me. If a picture is framed then this will be notified in the detail relating to the item, and you are asked to note the additional nominal charge for despatch.