Textile Labels from Amritsar's Vibrant Trading Industry

Textile Labels were once used as markers of a vibrant trade between India and Britain. Commonly known as "shipper's tickets", these catchy chromolithographs (a coloured picture printed by lithography in the late 19th-early 20th centuries) were attached on the front of a bolt of cloth during shipment for the purposes of immediate brand recognition and information. The most useful labels would often contain the name and location of the mill, a trademark image and cloth details.Now a collectable item, these textile labels act as great sources of historical records to show shift in design and printing techniques, while also throwing light on historical trade routes, systems and businesses. During the colonial period, Bombay, Calcutta, and Amritsar rose as prominent trading centres for textile industry. In Amritsar, it was the Hall Bazaar near Town Hall, that became a landmark for textile trading