Art Institute of Chicago

Woman's Long Shawl

Probably France

Date

1870s

Medium

Wool and cotton, warp threads dyed in multiple colors prior to weaving; center of warp-float faced 1:2 'Z' twill weave; patterned areas of two layers, plain weave and plain weave with seven-color complementary wefts, floats trimmed on reverse; knotted main warp fringe; woven on loom with Jacquard attachment; two selvages present

Culture

France

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

These boldly patterned shawls illustrate the broad appeal of the buta , or paisley, pattern. The Jacquard mechanism, a patterning technology introduced in the first decade of the 1800s, enabled European manufacturers to create increasingly complex variations on the paisley motif. Although this technology allowed for faster weaving, European companies never successfully reproduced the delicacy of the hand-woven shawls from Kashmir. British- and French-made shawls tended to be thicker and heavier and the designs were arguably less refined than the original Kashmir garments.

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.