Under the name of linen are comprehended all yarns spun and fabrics woven from flax fibre (see FLAX). From the earliest periods of human history till almost the close of the 18th century the linen manufacture was one of the most extensive and widely disseminated of the domestic industries of European countries.The industrial revolution and the triumph of cotton slowly put linen on the side, especially in the United States. Since the end of the last century there is a strong revival of linen: antique linens were collected as artworks and witnesses of our civilization, the outstanding qualities of linen itself have made of this fiber the one of choice in the luxury industry as well as for people valuing a healthy life.