Long Shawl 1848 - 1852

This lavish long shawl was created in France by Anthony Berrus in the 19th century. It imitates the famous Kashmir shawls of India, using wool and the complex Jacquard loom, a relatively new technology at the time. The appeal of these shawls lay in their intricate, colorful patterns. The texture is soft but substantial, giving warmth and drape. The repeated boteh, or paisley motif, is suggestive of both teardrops and sprouting seeds. This design evokes the exoticism of the East, but also the industrial might of Europe. A shawl like this would have been an aspirational, even ostentatious accessory. Woven on a mechanized loom, it represents the industrialization of taste, making luxury goods accessible to a wider market, while transforming craft traditions into mechanized production. These shawls offer us a potent reminder that even the most beautiful objects are embedded in social and economic realities.