These masks utilize commemorative cigarette silk premiums that were printed sometime between the 1890s and 1914. Unfortunately there are no brand logos to trace the silks to an exact date, but still we are left with beautifully colored florals that have lasted an entire century. Before WWI, it was very common to collect and quilt with these silks, as they were slipped into cigarette tins. The consumer could choose between collecting the silks, returning them for additional tobacco product, or quilting with them (usually doll quilts, pillow cases, etc.). I believe that by collecting theses silks and repurposing them into masks, I am giving the extant textiles a new and urgent life in these quite unexpected times. The masks are made using 100% silk premiums, 100% linen, an archival cotton canvas interfacing, and a cotton lining. 

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