Featured THRIFT STORE FIND - Royal Air Force double-sided silk escape map - BUT FEELS LIKE COTTON NOT SILK?

I found this at a thrift store today. At first I thought it was a onion skin or mimeograph paper when looking at it inside the glass, but I opened it up because it also looked like there was another map behind it - that turned out to be a map of Germany printed on the back of the France map.
When I googled A.D.I. (MAPS) AIR MINISTRY No. 7329A found in the lower corner it said this was a scarce silk RAF escape & evasion map that was carried by a 8th Air Force bombardier!
BUT(!) it feels like cotton? to me - look at the photo of the edge where it looks like the edge was folded/sewn along the edge - they wouldn't do that with silk, right?
The measurements are right - 17 3/4" x 23" (I think mine is actually 17 1/2" but I didn't stretch it out because I didn't want to hurt it.
What do I have?

 

Well, the side that says France also covers Belgium, the Netherlands and the duchies and principalities that border along there - like Lichtenstein - and parts of Germany, Switzerland and Spain. The German side extends well to the east, probably covering the countries that Germany had invaded and was occupying. I see Kracow and Danzig in Poland, for instance.

You question about hemming - they wouldn't do that with silk, right? - lots of silk items are hemmed. I see no reason to think they would not. But if it doesn't "feel" like silk - as in it's not "silky smooth?" - then maybe it isn't silk. I can't tell from a picture.

 

They were never of silk. We were at war with the source of silk. They just call them silk.

 

I hem fine silk often ... Joy.

 

I've only handled one of those and it was U.S. and silk. But seems cloth and paper were produced.

According to this: "During World War II, the United States and Great Britain produced in excess of 3.5 million silk maps and cloth maps for Allied military personnel to use as escape maps."

https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/10434455

And wikipedia.org says:

"During WWII hundreds of thousands of maps were produced by the British on thin cloth and tissue paper."

Debora

 

This site has lots of info on war maps. Just from a quick scan it looks like rayon was also used.
http://www.escape-maps.com/escape_m...cloth_escape_maps.htm#E.___From_Silk_to_Rayon

 

Yes, the "silk" of mine did feel more like rayon.

Debora

 

It also mentions that early silk maps had hemmed edges. I still haven't read it all though.

 

So it's real? (finger crossed)

 

Don't see why it wouldn't be.

Debora

 

Very nice, @journeymagazine

I love maps.

 

I think these types of maps are thrilling. Sometimes the difference between life and death...

Debora

 

Batteries not included - or necessary.

Deserves a better presentation

 

To start with, I love maps! This one is in great shape! Excellent find!

 

I took it out again to look closer & feel it better - it may be silk because it has a smooth slick feel! What does rayon look/feel like?
Maybe because it's been in the frame it didn't immediately register as silk?

 

Rayon feels like artificial silk. It's not going to be as soft and lux. A bit scratchy-ish. Not quite as translucent. If you drop a silk item, it will softly melt into a pile; rayon will hold more of its shape. It will have more volume when folded. Does that help? Have to say that, from your photographs, doesn't look like silk. And the hem doesn't look like the type of hem one would use with silk.

Debora

 

Then it must be raylon because it's definitely softer than cotton
Thank you all!

 

Rayon is going to be a shiny. Cotton, unless glazed, won't be.

Debora

 

Rayon is not really a synthetic fabric as it is made from cellulose. One type produced is known as "artificial silk".

Dennis

 

The British ones I've seen have all been real silk. You'd not bother doing a careful hand rolled edge on something made to carry concealed to war. Quicker and didn't need specialist skills to just turn and hem stitch it.

As to the sources, we were making parachutes from silk, too. We weren't at war with China. Or India, of course, which is where most of it came from, and was our colony. Rayon production was scaled right back, Courtaulds were doing other things.

Looks right to me, anyhow.