Modern textiles in historical collections have been manufactured from some of the earliest commercial man-made polymers, but unlike their plastic and film counterparts with the same composition, aged fibers appear more physically stable. The main reasons for this lie in the different chemical and mechanical properties conferred on fiber polymers during their production. With a focus on domestic textile fibers manufactured before 1960, polymer factors such as orientation, crystallinity and chain length are considered for viscose rayon, cellulose acetate, regenerated protein, nylon, poly(acrylonitrile), poly(ester) and elastane (spandex). Viewed from past and recent polymer science literature, this paper offers an introduction to polymeric contexts for the current condition of historical textiles, especially those with a user life-time, and considerations for their preservation.