La Maison des Canuts is a silk museum and boutique at 10 Rue d’Ivry in Lyon’s Croix-Rousse district. Its exhibits trace the craft and the lives of the canuts, Lyon’s silk weavers, through weaving tools, looms and displays of silk. Join a guided visit to see a Jacquard loom in action and learn how silk is woven and hand-painted with block prints. The shop sells silk goods made in Lyon, including scarves.
The canuts and Lyon’s silk trade
La Maison des Canuts tells the story of Lyon’s silk industry through the people who worked in it. The canuts were the city’s silk weavers, and their work helped make Lyon a centre for the craft. Exhibits connect weaving with the workers’ daily lives and social conditions, as well as with the city’s industrial development.
The collection also touches on the canuts’ uprisings in the early 19th century, among the first workers’ revolts of the Industrial Age. This history gives context to the tools and textiles on display: silk production was a skilled trade and a major part of life in Lyon, not simply a way to make fine fabric.
From silk thread to woven cloth
Displays cover different stages of silk production, from the silkworm’s life cycle to the painstaking work of weaving. You can see the kinds of looms used by silk workers, along with the tools and instruments involved in the craft. Some of the looms are still used during guided visits.
A demonstration brings the Jacquard loom into focus. Its place in the museum’s story is tied to the development of textile manufacturing and the techniques used to create patterned cloth. Guides explain the process as the loom works, giving you a chance to connect the machinery with the finished silk panels and yarns shown in the exhibits.
Silk designs and the boutique
The displays include silk panels and yarns in a wide range of colours, as well as the intricate block prints used to apply designs by hand. The printing technique offers another view of the work behind a finished piece, alongside the mechanics of weaving.
The museum also has a silk boutique. Its goods include scarves and other textile products made in France, with Lyon-made silk among the items to look for. A guided visit is a useful choice if you want the production process explained as you go; you can then spend time with the exhibits and browse the shop.
Perguntas frequentes
What can you see at La Maison des Canuts?
The museum has exhibits on Lyon’s silk trade, the canuts, weaving tools and looms. Guided visits include a weaving demonstration and information about silk production.
Can you see a Jacquard loom being used?
Yes. Guided visits include a demonstration of weaving on a traditional loom, including the Jacquard loom.
How long does a visit take?
Allow around 20 to 40 minutes to explore the museum. A guided tour can take longer.
Does La Maison des Canuts have a shop?
Yes. The boutique sells silk goods, including scarves and other textile products made in France.
