INTRODUCING GUEST BLOGGER MISS ARCHIVE…
Somehow, on one of the hottest days of the year, I found myself looking at shawls in storage at the Clothworkers’ Centre for the Study and Conservation of Textiles and Fashion. Even though the thought of wool and cashmere was almost too much to bear when it was 27 degrees and steadily rising outside in West London, it was still a wonderful way to spend a summer afternoon, looking through the Museum’s Fashion and Textile collection.
Our assistant curator, Hanne, unfolded a world of shawls in front of my eyes:
In the mid-19th century there was a fashion for exotic imported shawls. Weavers in France and Britain tried to exploit this demand by producing their own versions. One major centre of shawl weaving was Paisley in Scotland, where woven and printed versions were produced. Soon there was furious competition between manufacturers. With the aid of the semi-automated Jacquard loom, they were now able to produce much bigger and more elaborate patterns than ever before.
George Haité (1825–71) was a well-known and prolific designer of shawl patterns. By 1850 he and his fellow designers were drawing enormous and fantastic all-over patterns based on pine cones. They were of brilliant colour and had large repeats.
Little did these designers know, of the inspiration that their textiles would bring to the V&A Commercial team, and since all profit gets returned to the museum, their hand in preserving the V&A’s national collection of textiles and fashion. Our curators and publishing department have dined out on the possibilities, producing a sumptuous and beautifully illustrated range of books: William Morris Textiles, Selling Silks: A Merchant’s Sample Book and soon out in November is Embroidery Designs: For Fashion and Furnishing – Just a few of the most recent titles to hit the shelves.
Keep up to date with V&A Publishing’s Fashion titles here – the possibilities offered by our vast, stunning collections really are endless.
Hopefully some of this material will continue to inspire forthcoming projects in the V&A’s Commercial and Digital department. An example of how designers have already referenced paisleys for fashion can be found in Alice Temperley’s womenswear and accessories collection for John Lewis, Somerset.
Many thanks to Hanne for patiently unravelling the heavily fringed shawls for me to look at on such an uncomfortably hot day!
Miss Archive
Hello! Shawl sold? Thanks