Object: Shawl
Date: 1815-1820
Medium: Off white wool and silk
Country: Scotland (possibly)
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Object number: P86.71.2
DescriptionLong rectangular shawl, off white wool ground and center field. Wide end borders of eight rows of small, slightly tilted buta alternating with single flowers. Central field has inner border of connected flowering plant motifs and corner motifs of three buta on a flowering stem, framed by flowering branches. Off white self fringe, 2.5 inches long. Silk warps in selvage. Weft colors blue, red, and yellow. Wool and silk.
Label Text:This shawl served a dual function: it provided warmth to the thin base garment and demonstrated the fashion-consciousness of the wearer, as the cloths were extremely popular through the mid-nineteenth century. Kashmiri shawls were popularized by Napoleon's wife, the Empress Josephine, owner of an extensive collection. Imported shawls were prohibitively expensive for many, and European cities, like Paisley in Scotland, the likely source for this example, began to produce less costly shawls in imitative motifs.
In Collection(s)
Exhibitions:
- Trend-ology
- Luxury