[1][2] The company was also known as Emile Marghab Inc.[3] Since 1850, when Madeiran natives were introduced to hand embroidery as a means of industry, the islands had been renowned for their needlework.
[3] Marghab linens were retailed through leading American department stores such as Lord & Taylor, Marshall Field's, and Neiman Marcus.
[5] As of 2015, the museum's holdings are described as the world's most complete collection of Marghab linens, with over three hundred patterns and almost 2800 objects.
[2] The museum holds at least one example of almost every design produced, but deaccessioned and sold off all the duplicates at auction in 2005 in order to raise money for building work.
[3] At the time of the auction, it was noted that Marghab linens had previously sold for hundreds of dollars over their reserve prices, and that it was extremely difficult to find matched sets.