Jacqueline Jacqué presents a portrait of the Alsace region, located in the very heart of France. Surrounded by the powerful Rhine River, the majestic Vosges Mountains, Switzerland and Germany, its physical as well as psychological placement has been marked by contrasts. This “dual” French/Germanic personality has resulted in numerous conflicts, but also in an uncommon richness, evident today in the Alsatian taste for life, good cheer, and hearty work-ethic. The capital of this region, Strasbourg, is also a world capital. Colmar is a city of museums boasting one of the masterpieces of medieval art, the retable d’Issenheim by Martin Schongauer. And Mulhouse, which became part of France in 1798, owes its unique character and importance in great part to it’s printed textiles, which transformed this city of the Empire into the “French Manchester” in the 19th Century.

The world’s largest and most significant collection of printed textiles resides in Mulhouse, at le Musée del’Impression sur Etoffes, of which Mme. Jacqué is chief curator. Founded in 1833 by a group of Alsatian textile manufacturers, this newly renovated museum houses over 6 million examples of exquisite textile designs; including fabrics, drawings, historical objects, and a library, lined from floor to ceiling with 9,000 priceless volumes. It is the perfect testament to this region’s unique blending of cultures.

After completing her “etudes supérieures” in Art History at the University of Strasbourg,France, Jacqueline Jacqué became an associate curator at le Musée de l’Impression sur Etoffes, where she is now chief curator. She is a member of a number of professional textile societies and has authored scholarly catalogs, texts and books on the subject of textile design and history. Recently, she has been instrumental in aiding research on American patchwork quilts.

Part of the Alsace Regional Festival series.

Recorded Wednesday, November 01, 2006 at Alliance Française de Chicago.