It is with great pleasure, that we celebrate an historic collaboration between the Moutet weavers in southwest France and the renowned French image house, Imagerie d'Epinal.

Founded in 1796, Imagerie d'Epinal is part of France's rich cultural heritage. In its 220 years of existence, it has built up an incredible collection of tens of thousands of images. Located in northeast France in the small town of Epinal, the house's massive archive includes everything from religious to military images, history, geography, natural stories, educational materials (alphabet charts, illustrated encyclopedias), tales, fables, historic events, art (songs, theatre sets) and games. From the 18th to the 20th century, the Imagerie d'Epinal played a major role in the spread of popular knowledge, with the images from their collection being distributed throughout Europe in various forms.

Using a wonderfully detailed image from the vast Imagerie d'Epinal archives, Moutet has created this striking tea towel with an antique illustration of Gustave Eiffel's Tower. With the original illustration dating from the Eiffel Tower's unveiling at the 1889 Paris World's Fair, the towel shows the remarkable beauty and majesty of what has become one of the world's most beloved monuments.

Woven in a shade that is best described as Paris Gray, the towel has blue and red border stripes borrowing geometric shapes found within the Eiffel Tower. This wonderful towel is sure to bring its rich, historic presence to your kitchen and be an inspiration of lasting beauty.

100% cotton.  Machine wash cool with like colors. Tumble dry low or for best results allow towel to air dry. These densely woven jacquard towels will become even more absorbent with each wash. 27" x 20".

Learn More About Moutet

In 1919, Jean-Baptiste Moutet founded a small weaving mill on the banks of the Gave du Pau River in the town of Orthez in the Basque region of France. Working alongside other small industries, Moutet has acted as a leader in Basque weaving since its origins.

Renowned for weaving traditional Basque patterns on sturdy linen fabrics, the original linens Moutet produced were used as blankets for his oxen to protect them in the fields. Adorned with seven woven stripes, each representing one of the seven Basque regions.

Expanding the mill to 40 employees, Jean-Baptiste’s son, Georges Moutet, carried on the second generation of weaving after he taught himself the latest mechanisms in looming. Carrying on from generation to generation of Moutets, the third and fourth generations acquired jacquard looms, allowing for more complex weaving and patterns.

The fifth generation continues the legacy to this day. Reviving old patterns and sustaining the high-quality linens behind the name Moutet, the factory still stands in the Basque region and is proud to have received the honorable "Enterprise du Patrimoine Vivant" title - an award by the French state to recognize French firms for their excellence and tradition, making Moutet an official living heritage company.

With over 1,000 color options at their mill, each linen is cut by hand, meticulously inspected for quality, and finally labeled with the name Moutet - a nearly 100 year old name in French linen tradition.

For a fascinating, behind-the-scenes glimpse at what goes into the creation of a Moutet towel, please take a moment and watch this beautifully produced short video. The music and images are captivating and the love and care that goes into each towel is clearly evident. The very last two people that you'll see in the video are the current owners of the company, Catherine Moutet and her son, Benjamin.

L'envers du décor des Tissages Moutet from Tissage Moutet on Vimeo