Thérèse Makes a Tapestry
Written by Alexandra S. D. HinrichsIllustrated by Renée Graef
During the reign of King Louis XIV, a girl named Thérèse works in the famous Gobelins Manufactory, winding yarn while dreaming of weaving on one of the great looms. An unusual gift from her father and a surprise visit by the king sets the story in motion, and sends Thérèse throughout the manufactory as she creates a tapestry suitable for a king. The skilled work of dyeing wool, spinning yarn, preparing a loom, transferring the tapestry design, and weaving the final product are all expertly and playfully illustrated in this charming book.
Interest Level: Ages 6-10 | Lexile® measure: 740L | Genre: Picture book | Themes: Coming-of-age, tapestry weaving
Videos
- The Art of Weaving a Tapestry
Created by the Getty and filmed in the Gobelins workshops, this video demonstrates loom setup, dyeing, and weaving. - Le plan de l’hôtel royal des Gobelins, par Sébastien Le Clerc fils
This video in French by Connaissance des arts shows a remarkable 3D map of the Gobelins created in the seventeeth century. -
Real Fábrica de Tapices
A visual introduction to the traditional steps of tapestry weaving on a vertical loom.
Resources
- The Making of Thérèse Makes a Tapestry (Screen PDF, 3.1 MB) or
(Print PDF, 19.8 MB)
Learn more about illustrator Renée Graef’s artistic process and her creative collaboration with author Alexandra Hinrichs, curator Charissa Bremer-David, and fashion historian Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, in this highly illustrated guide. - Questions for Discussion (PDF)
- Further Reading for Children (PDF)
- Selected Bibliography for Adults (PDF)
Websites
- Mobilier national history of the Gobelins
Read about the Gobelins’s history from the manufactory’s founding through its present-day existence. Did you know it continues to function as a weaving workshop and museum? - MIT Libraries Exhibits
A brief article on tapestry at the Gobelins as well as pages of dye samples—“Most of the names given to the color samples correspond to the list given in the article on dyeing in the Encyclopédie, where at least 80 different colors are listed for wool. Each was produced with a different dye.” - A Textile Lover’s Diary
Encyclopedia of textile terms. - King Louis XIV’s historic visit to the Gobelins
The best documentation that exists of King Louis XIV’s visit to the Gobelins is actually a tapestry! Take a look, and read more about it.
Getty Tapestries
- See the real tapestries that inspired the book Thérèse Makes a Tapestry in the J. Paul Getty Museum exhibition Woven Gold
- View tapestries in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum
Lesson Plans
- Artful Women
Lower Elementary (grades K–2), Upper Elementary (grades 3–5) - Looking at French Decorative Arts: A Tapestry Fit for a King (grades K–2)
- Revolutionary Europe: Science & Exploration in the Decorative Arts (grades 6–8)
- Imagining China through Words (grades 6–8)
- Creating a Garden
Lower Elementary (grades K–2), Upper Elementary (grades 3–5) - Tapestry: The Astronomers from the Story of the Emperor of China Series