On Sep 2, 2006, at 8:51 PM, Susan B. Farmer wrote:
Quoting [EMAIL PROTECTED]:
In a message dated 9/2/2006 9:08:15 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
When did Paisley begin to be seen in "western European" textiles?
Some time in the early 1800s, when European weavers began making
imitation
cashmere shawls--among the first to do so were in Paisley,
Scotland, hence the
name. One of the factoids I enjoy telling people when I give
talks on early
19th century costume.
Really. I had it in my mind that it came from India/Persia (or at
least *somewhere* in that neck of the woods) and that it was the
pattern produced by "block printing the side of the hand .....
Interesting tidbit nonetheless. Wonder where I got my erroneous
info from?
The location is roughly accurate but I've never run across the "hand"
explanation before. The motif has a fascinating evolution starting
out as a stylized "vase and bouquet" motif. Eventually the vase part
became vestigial and the bouquet developed that little "droop" at the
top point and it turned into the familiar current shape. It was only
the last evolutionary stage that became popularized in Europe.
Heather
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