Holland cloth explained

The name Holland cloth, or simply Holland can refer to one of two types of fabric:^[1]

• a plainwoven or dull-finish linen used as furniture covering
• a cotton or linen fabric made more or less opaque by a glazed or unglazed finish (the Holland finish)

First documented in English in 1427,the name originally applied to any fine, plainwoven linens imported from Europe, and particularly from the Netherlands.^{[2] [3]}

Holland cloth is used for window shades, insulation, labels and tags, sign cloth, etc.^[4]

Notes and References

1. - "A hard-wearing, plain-woven linen fabric originally made in the Netherlands, used esp. for making clothing, bedding, and towels and for covering furniture; (in later use also) a smooth cotton or linen fabric treated with a mixture of oil and sizing or starch to give it an opaque finish, used esp. for making window blinds."
2. Web site: Holland (cloth). Britannica. 2010-03-04 . Originally the name was applied to any fine, plainwoven linens imported from the continent of Europe, and especially to the product obtained from the Netherlands..
3. Book: Peck, Amelia. Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500-1800. 2013. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 978-1-58839-496-5. 105. en . The earliest records of textiles shipped to North America, specifically to New England, [include] European-woven linens like 'holland cloth [...]' [...]..
4. Web site: Holland (cloth). Britannica. 2010-03-04 . Holland is used for window shades, insulation, labels and tags, sign cloth, and the like..