Imitation Kashmiri shawls were produced in large numbers in Europe in the second half of the 19th and also in the 20th centuries. The first mechanised production of such shawls was made possible by the invention of the Jacquard loom in France in the 1820s. Machine woven paisley shawl, based on traditional hand-woven Kashmiri designs. paisley shawl, shawls

Paisley shawls were a fashionable item of women's clothing in Europe during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Many were made of intricately woven and delicate wool, as well as examples being printed onto silks, wools, and cotton. These pieces were highly decorative. Although now known as the Paisley pattern, the teardrop motif originated in Persia and India. There are various theories about the early history of the paisley motif, and it would appear that it originated in Iran during the early first millennium AD. At this date it was a bulbous, almond shaped form, which was often flowery and without the prominent hook so common in later examples. This motif is specifically known as a buteh. The end of the 17th century saw the hooked buteh becoming a popular motif in neighbouring Mughal India (c. 1526-1857). It was used especially on the fine woollen shawls that were hand woven and sometimes embroidered in Kashmir in northern India. The motif travelled from India to Africa, Southeast and East Asia, but in particular to Europe. In the late eighteenth century, the buteh became even more popular as it was featured on the Kashmir shawls that were being exported in vast quantities to Europe. Joséphine de Beauharnais, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, for example, is said to have owned over 200 of these shawls. The buteh or paisley motif is actually one of the few non-geometric design forms that can be found throughout the world. It is worn by men, women and children of all ages, literally from the cradle to the grave. Moreover, it is worn by people of many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Silk/cotton paisley shawl with fringe. Cream background, brightly coloured Paisley motifs on borders, pieced borders - ? recycled from another item.

Originally belonged to the wife of William Pitt, first Earl of Chatham, 1708-78, and has been handed down from generation to generation and was the property of the donor.William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (15 November 1708 – 11 May 1778) was a British Whig statesman who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768.Large silk shawl with 130 mm black silk fringe. Black centre with colourful, dense floral or paisley (Jal) patterned border on 4 sides.embroidery, weaving, shawls, mid 18th century, france?

These shawls were copied from the embroidered shawls of Cashmere made in India. At the height of their popularity nearly every bride was given one on her wedding day.Paisley shawl with silk warp threads of pink, red, black and yellow, weft of white wool.textile, weaving, shawls, 1860-80, scotland

Brought to Australia by a pioneer family, 1849-51. Well usedClassical Paisley harness [loom} shawl woven in many colours with a red background and Persian style motifs.weaving, shawls, 1840-60, scotland

Silk shawl worn by Miss Jean Young at her marriage to Mr. William Hill 0n 13th January 1843.Shawl in paisley pattern in cream, red and green. Majority of the fringe is missing.costume, female

Plain turkey red fabric with paisley border and pine cone floral style in red, blue, green and yellow. Paisley border has been let in, and fringe attached to it.weaving, scotland, 1920-40, shawls

Charlemont & Co., operated out of the Academy Studio, 114 Elizabeth Street from 1890 to 1898. The sitter’s identity has been established as a Mrs. Merritt. While we know that she is not the Mrs Merritt who was to be the wife of the future Mayor of Kew, there were two Mrs Merritts who were shopkeepers in High Street, Kew. Mrs Lucy Merritt operated a bootmaker’s shop, and subsequently a “boot warehouse” from 1888 until the 1920s. Miss Laura Merritt established a dressmaker’s shop in High Street in 1910. Her business also lasted until the 1920s, albeit changed to that of a bookseller and stationer. Silver albumen cabinet card by Charlemont & Co., who operated out of the Academy Studio, 114 Elizabeth Street from 1890 to 1898. In this portrait of Mrs Merritt, she is posed gazing directly at the lens, thus achieving a potentially more intimate relationship with the viewer. All that is revealed however in this supposedly more direct pose is her face. As with an earlier generation, her hair is centrally parted and flattened to accommodate her bonnet, which is surmounted by feathers. The detail in her coat-dress is sharply revealed by new photographic processes that allowed firms like Charlemont & Co., to capture greater light and shade, as well as the detail of fabrics. The entire garment is beaded with what is probably Parisian jet. The beading is arranged in a ‘paisley’ design. The paisley pattern was to become ubiquitous in the 19th century as a design on everything from carpets, to shawls, to clothing.Mrs Merrittcharlemont & co., mrs merritt