Fabrics of Life – the Sample Books of the Company Pozzy

A clothes and stationery store? Hardly anyone would guess that such an establishment also housed a bank – and one of the oldest banks in Switzer-land as well. And yet, that was the case in the Val Poschiavo. The business owned by the Pozzy family and the corresponding bank were founded around 1747. The bank was acquired by UBS in 1972 – being the oldest among approximately 370 banks that had been integrated into UBS by that time.

And the store? Jars, bottles and barrels produced by the Handels- und Warenhaus [trading company and department store] Pozzy-Semadeni can today be found in a centre for the preservation of the cultural heritage, op-erated by the Val Poschiavo’s museums. Much of what was once sold in the department store – and which the Val Poschiavo’s population needed – is stored here. There is even a small bottle of handmade elixir of life.

Two large sample books containing hundreds of fabric samples have also survived. Each piece of fabric has a catalogue number and the price per linear metre is also indicated. Almost anything can be found from small-checked to multi-coloured fabrics – as well as different materials such as cotton, silk or synthetic fabrics.