The Paisley Shawl

The story starts in Kashmir, whose weavers produced shawls of breathtaking fineness patterned with the boteh — the teardrop 'pine cone' motif. These shawls reached Europe as luxury imports and became the most coveted accessory of the age. Scottish weavers, above all in the town of Paisley, set out to imitate them on mechanised looms from the early 1800s, and 'Paisley shawl' became the generic name for the pine-patterned shawl worldwide.

A fine shawl was an heirloom and a status symbol, draped over the shoulders or folded as a wrap against the enormous skirts of the crinoline decades. The best examples, like this Scottish-made shawl of about 1865, shimmer with intricate, densely patterned borders in rich dyes. Genuine Kashmir pieces were fabulously expensive; even good Paisley imitations cost serious money, and shawls were listed in wills and handed down like jewellery.

The shawl's day faded with the silhouette it adorned. As the bustle slimmed the skirt and the tailored jacket and mantle took over outdoor dress in the 1870s, the great draped square looked old-fashioned. Paisley's mills moved on to other goods, and the shawl survived mainly as a treasured relic in grandmothers' drawers.