Down

MFA Acc. #: 51.315

Description

A fine, soft, fluffy undergrowth of short hairs or feathers. Commercial down, usually obtained from ducks and waterfowl, is lightweight and resilient. When used as a filling, down provides insulation and loft. It is used in winter coats, sleeping bags, bedding, and pillows. Trade regulation rules allow a garment to be labeled 100% down when it contains a minimum of 80% down. Most down is imported from China, Taiwan, Poland, and eastern Europe.

Synonyms and Related Terms

dons (Ned.); plumón (Esp.)

Additional Images

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  Swan down

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  Unspun down

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  Down feathers

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  Down feathers

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• Rosalie Rosso King, Textile Identification, Conservation, and Preservation, Noyes Publications, Park Ridge, NJ, 1985

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_feathers (Accessed Nov. 2, 2005)