Shawl

This shawl was woven by Towler and Campin, Norwich. It was made in 1844 and consists of a silk warp, wool weft, silk and wool fillover. It features the pine motif, which is thought to be of Persian origin, but was used on Kashmir shawls, where it was known as the ‘buta’ or ‘boteh’. Both Norwich shawl-makers and rival shawl-makers in Paisley used it as the basis for a wide variety of designs. The 'Norwich Red' colour was invented by Michael Stark, (father of the painter), who perfected a technique to exactly match dyed silk and worstead to produce this distinctly local colour. Shawls were the height of fashion between the 1790s and the 1860s. By the 1840s, there were 26 shawl manufacturers in the city, harnessing the technology of the Jacquard loom.