Textiles and Worldwide Trade, 1600-1900

The Textile Trade

 
In 1600 East India allowed for trade. Indian textile workers had produced a brilliant new way of dyeing, named mordant dying that allowed colours to stay vibrant even after washing. They were much more advanced in technology than Europeans and therefore began to trade to the EU in return for money. India was therefore soon to become the greatest exporter of textiles the world had ever seen. 

Hanging of painted and dyed cotton made in western India for the British market, late 17th or early 18th century. Museum no. IS.156-1953. (click image for larger version)




Why Europeans wanted Indian Textiles:

Indian textiles were of great value to Europeans and were incidental in the trading of commodities like spices and silk. South East Asia traded Indian textiles for spices, coffee and tea and West Africa exchanged them for gold and ivory. Other goods like hemp, silk and cotton had to imported because Western Europe were unable to produce them. Europeans used these textiles to act as luxury goods because they were unable to grow cotton and cashmere. They were also sought after because unlike painted European linens, Indian cotton could be washed and their colours would not fade. Indian textiles were extremely popular and special; they were made of an incredibly fine cotton known as muslin that was much lighter and softer than European linen. Their woven cashmere shawls were also much softer and finer and thus more covetable. 

Bullion coins were sent to India in exchange for printed textiles. These textiles were then shipped to Indonesia and traded for spices which in turn were sold with the leftover fabric in London for bullion, allowing for a three-way trade. Goods were sent in their thousands to England, often in the form of 'piece goods' a short piece of fabric that could easily be shaped and sewn into hanker-chiefs or dresses.

  

Textile sample, Bellary, Karnataka, India, mid-19th C, Cotton, Museum no. Series 1, Vol 10, No 372. Printed cotton described by Forbes Watson as 'piece goods, used for petticoats'. The boteh (flower pattern that evolved into a pine cone or mango shape; also known as Paisley pattern) is usually associated with North India, especially Kashmir, rather than the South. Purchased for just over 13s (15.5p).

The influence of Indian textiles is still apparent in England today. Words like calico, dungarees, gingham, khaki and pajama all originated in India. The furnishing fabric 'Chintz', known for its floral pattern and stained fast colours can be seen in most European households, however it was initially founded in India. Coming from a Sanskrit word meaning spotted or coloured, chintz was originally made for the English market because it was light and colour-fast. By 1620, 50 000 pieces of chintz were imported to England as it was cheap enough for the emerging middle classes to buy them. Indian textiles became so lucrative that interaction between trading companies, exporting manufacturers and the buying public developed. Numerous requests were sent to India enquiring about specific patterns, colourways and images, thus influencing Indian design. It was at this point that many manufacturers in Europe began to copy Indian patterns thus attempting to fade out India's importance and seizing their European markets. Many different markets began to adapt their designs, producing imitations that they attempted to sell and trade. They were soon caught out as they did not have the 'blue stripe' that appeared on all Indian textiles and were thus sold for less money.


Chintz designs:

 

Textile piece, Masulipatam (Machilipatnam), Andhra Pradesh, India, 1880, cotton, Museum no. IS.1728-1883. Block printed design includes a repeating floral pattern on a white ground, boteh patterns and men bearing swords. Although described as 'printed chintz', by the 19th century this term was commonly used to describe any block printed cotton textile.  

 

Bed covering, Masulipatam (Machilipatnam), Andhra Pradesh, India, mid-19th C, Cotton. Museum no. Series 1, Vol 12, No 475. Cover or 'small glazed Palampore or bed covering'; printed cotton cover described as chintz. Originally chintz was Indian cotton cloth with a pattern applied with a bamboo pen or kalam and by dyeing with mordants and resists. Later block printing was introduced and eventually took over, as with this example. The surface of the fabric was burnished with a shell or other implement to create a shiny surface. Machilipatnam on the east or Coromandel coast of India, was the export centre for locally produced chintzes which became highly fashionable in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Pieces with this type of design were often exported to Iran where local imitations were also made.

Trade after 1770: Imitation Industry

Indian textiles showed great examples of material resources and intricate design, they gave inspiration to manufacturers and consumers and were given great status when worn by the British Royal family at state events. The light silks allowed for exquisite drapery and were soon introduced as hangings and coverings in bedrooms, juxtaposing the heavily, upholstered Victorian furnishings. Europe having seen India's success encouraged a direct imitation industry and began to produce machinery that could take over from India. After 1770 trade was not as vital; a weaver and carpenter named James Hargreaves patented the 'spinning Jenny' - a multi-spool spinning frame that enabled the spinner to use more spools thus decreasing time and labour. Water power was then used to drive these spinning machines and by 1783 roller printing was developed allowing for a faster and more efficient production line. Soon steam power took over and in the 1800s with newly developed synthetic dyes, Britain had overtaken India as a major world exporter of printed cotton. By 1857 the British Crown took direct rule of the governing of India and in 1858 the East India company that had controlled a large part of India was abolished. 

In 1850/1860 Britain began producing textiles for India. British manufacturers and traders studied Indian and Asian consumer taste and by 1860 had designed and made printed cotton to sell to India, Burma, China and West Africa. 

On a visit to the V&A, the differences in quality between the imitations and the real Indian prints were visible, with the Indian muslin being much finer than the slightly rougher European muslin. 

The exhibit showcased Indian gowns based on Japanese kimonos, Indian print squares with designs based on French poetry and many other identical imagery inspired by Indian motifs. I thought it was interesting to see the Indian prints and techniques used on many Japanese designs conveying the mixture of cultures and talents. However I feel that the mixture of Indian, Chinese and Japanese designs have led to Western countries creating a rather bizarre, almost backwards style of clothing. Although the development of mass produced cotton textiles in Britain has meant that our economy has boomed and flourished, and it is our admiration that has led to such imitations, I feel we have forced many local markets out of business.

Blouse piece, Bombay (Mumbai), India, 1880, Silk, Museum no. IS.2050-1883. Uncut and shaped piece for a girl's blouse (jubla). Coloured embroidery on white silk depicting coloured birds among foliage. Reminiscent of Chinese embroidery.

(small text retrieved from the V&A website - www.vam.ac.uk)  

Nowadays I feel that British manufacturers regard Indian textiles as an archive of useful designs in a competitive market instead of seeing them as the creator. We have produced exact replicas in order to export them to the subcontinent and used our machine printing technology to imitate the hand block, tie dye and embroidery patterns originally invented in India. Consequently, I feel that Indian textiles are a great inspiration to most designers today and their beautiful and elaborate designs have become the basis of many fashionable pieces.