Not on display

Shawl

ca. 1852 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Shawls tended to be very large in the 1850s, mainly because they were worn over wide crinoline skirts (skirts supported by a cage-like structure). Shawls like this one, produced in large quantities on a jacquard loom, were generally cheaper than the Indian shawls, which were hand-woven using a more time-consuming technique. By the 1850s the kashmir shawl industry in India was largely controlled by European agents who brought their own pattern books for the local shawl weavers to copy.

Paisley in Scotland, and Norwich, were amongst the first shawl manufacturing centres in Europe to attempt exact reproductions of kashmir patterns in the early 19th century, and shawls were also made in France. By the 1850s the industry was mainly looking to Paris for inspiration. This was largely due to the introduction of the jacquard loom from France, which was in general use in Paisley by 1845. The use of this type of loom meant that more elaborate designs could be produced at a faster rate.

Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Jacquard-woven cashmere
Brief description
Shawl, jacquard woven cashmere, made by Frédéric Hérbert et Fils, Paris, ca. 1852.
Physical description
Square, jacquard-woven shawl in cashmere. Designed with central black field, surrounded by paired pine cone motifs, with 'harlequin' coloured border. Fringe at two ends.
Dimensions
  • Width: 192cm
  • Length: 192cm
  • Width: 1875mm
  • Length: 2040mm (Note: including fringe)
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • '25121' stamped in black, and 'N' stamped in blue, on white cotton label attached to back of shawl.
  • 'H Cachemire pur' woven in white on black central field (See Monique Levi-Strauss 'The Cashmere Shawl' (London, 1987) p111.)
Credit line
Given by Griselda Lewis
Summary
Shawls tended to be very large in the 1850s, mainly because they were worn over wide crinoline skirts (skirts supported by a cage-like structure). Shawls like this one, produced in large quantities on a jacquard loom, were generally cheaper than the Indian shawls, which were hand-woven using a more time-consuming technique. By the 1850s the kashmir shawl industry in India was largely controlled by European agents who brought their own pattern books for the local shawl weavers to copy.

Paisley in Scotland, and Norwich, were amongst the first shawl manufacturing centres in Europe to attempt exact reproductions of kashmir patterns in the early 19th century, and shawls were also made in France. By the 1850s the industry was mainly looking to Paris for inspiration. This was largely due to the introduction of the jacquard loom from France, which was in general use in Paisley by 1845. The use of this type of loom meant that more elaborate designs could be produced at a faster rate.
Collection
Accession number
T.72-2010

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Record createdSeptember 1, 2010
Record URL
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