Shawl of woven wool and silk, possibly woven by McWilliam, possibly in Paisley, Scotland, 1840-1845

Shawl of woven wool and silk. With a paisley pattern of organic and Islamic forms decorating the border and with a red ground. Pink silk warp and red worsted west, and 2/1 twill. The ground continues at the ends, and with an elaborate upside-down cresting in blue, green, white and pink running the width of the shawl between green selvedges. Warp fringe, not knotted, just twisted in groups.

The 35 inch border (38 inches plus the guardstripe) invades the plain centre, and the thin invasion ornament continues round the sides of the shawl. There is a thin spray of shawl-flowers in each corner. The border contains three pairs of addorsed cones with outlines breaking over a continuous pattern beneath, and only the colour of the ground within the cone changes. A continuous guardstripe, without corner pieces, runs round the whole shawl. The corner is neatly contrived. Maroon wool, pink, blue and green cotton, and white silk. Bound in 3/1 twill.

Bequeathed by Miss A. C. Innes

As the fashion in dress changed in the 19th century, so did the shape of the shawl. The wide crinoline skirts of the 1850s and 1860s were not suited to wearing under a coat and so a large, rectangular shawl became the outdoor wear for fashionable women.

Norwich continued to be an important centre of shawl production but was seriously challenged by the manufacturers of Paisley in Scotland, who managed to undercut Norwich prices. Competition was so great that in 1842 the Government agreed to allow the patenting of shawl designs to give the manufacturers protection for 3, 6, or 9 months while their design was popular. Edinburgh had tried to concentrate on the luxury end of the shawl market but did not survive the challenge posed by Paisley, and production ceased by 1847.

T.348-1972