Hi Lillian,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

This bird's-eye view of Paris was probably taken from an engraved print following the Eiffel Tower's construction in 1887-88 though I'm not finding the specific source in an online search.

It was likely woven in the Jacquard technique, a system developed and named after Joseph Marie Jacquard that used a series of punched cards, each representing one row of the weave. Holes in the cards determined which warp threads (vertical threads) were lifted for each pass of the weft (horizontal threads).

Before the Jacquard technique, tapestries had to be woven by hand on large looms, often taking months or years to complete. With Jacquard looms, designs could be much more intricate, including realistic figures and detailed scenes. Additionally, production time decreased, and tapestries became more accessible to wealthy or even middle-class households rather than just to royalty or the church.

These tapestries are not considered rare and yours shows signs of fading, which is typical and *does* negatively affect its value. I would expect this to bring between $150 and $200 if sold at auction.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

A vintage or antique Jacquard woven bird's-eye view of Paris
early 20th Century
probably cotton
20 inches high by 59 inches wide, framed
CONDITION: Faded
PROVENANCE: Inherited
$ 150-200*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia