24 x 32.5 cm

ISBN 978-3-85881-724-2

Textiles are one of Switzerland’s oldest industries, and one of the biggest names in Switzerland’s silk trade has been Abraham Ltd. This book draws from the vast archives that are now kept at the Swiss National Museum in Zürich to document the fascinating history of this influential enterprise.

Soie Pirate: The History of Abraham Ltd. tells the firm’s story, from 1878, when Jakob Abraham became a partner in the Zürich-based business Königsberger, Rüdenberg & Co., to 1943, when Gustav Zumsteg became a partner, through the company’s mid-twentieth-century heyday, and finally to 2002, the year Abraham Ltd. ceased operations. Along the way, readers are introduced to a host of fascinating people, including Zumsteg’s mother, Hulda Zumsteg, who ran the legendary Kronenhalle restaurant in downtown Zürich.

The book was published to coincide with an exhibition at the Swiss National Museum in Zürich.

Also available as a two-volume set with Soie Pirate: The Fabric Designs of Abraham Ltd.

Deutsche Ausgabe