British Imperialism and its Legacies: Imported Textile Fibres and Dyes for Textiles and Dress
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Glasgow Museums has a collection of items, predominately in the European Dress and Textiles, and Glasgow History, collections, that relate to the importation, processing and use of fibres and dyes to make and colour textiles.
Some textile fibres, such as linen and wool, are native to the British and Irish Isles. However, both have also often been imported to meet manufacturing demands or because they are from a different species and produce a different quality thread or yarn. Cashmere is a prime example. The pashmina wool comes from the under-fleece of the wild central Asian or Himalayan mountain goat Capra hirus. Early attempts to import pashmina were unsuccessful as the wool felted in transit. Other attempts included trying to establish flocks in Scotland during the 1810s, but it was discovered that the goats did not produce the under-fleece in the milder European climate. A later attempt was made in 1846 when an annual gift of 12 shawl goats was included in the Treaty of Amritsar made between the British East India Company and Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu. In the meantime, Scottish manufacturers initially imported cashmere yarn from France before Henry Houldsworth & Sons, Glasgow, became the first company to spin cashmere in Scotland. In addition, other types of non-native wool were imported in huge amounts to supply the large carpet and tweed industries.
Cotton and silk are not native to Scotland so have always been imported. From the late 1700s to early 1900s cotton was the most imported textile, with the largest supplies coming from the enslaved labour plantations in the Caribbean and Americas. Silk originally developed in China and was traded with Europe from the third century BC via the Silk Route through Asia and the Middle East.
Although not textiles, furs used to make dress and accessories were also imported. Historically, most pelts came from Europe, particularly Russia, but with the expansion of British colonialism and international trade new sources became available, most notably in the Americas. For instance, Canadian beaver fur was a major import for the Hudson's Bay Company.
While a large variety of natural dyes was available, the strongest and most durable were imported. Cochineal red is an early example, imported from Mexico and Honduras by the Spanish conquistadors after 1521, making its way through Antwerp to Scotland. Over the following centuries trade increased, with a major boom between 1847–50 when imports increased by 50% to meet the demand for bright colours, only to slump after the commercial development of aniline dyes. To meet demand for indigo blue the plant Indigofera tinctoria was cultivated on enslaved labour plantations in Carolina in America, and later mass produced under the British East India Company in India, particularly in Bengal. When the Company stopped buying the dye on the open market in 1830 it resulted in financial ruin for many Indian farmers. Under the British Raj the industry boomed, with 2,800 Indian factories in the 1870s producing indigo for use in naval and military uniforms. But again, the development of a synthetic alternative devastated colonies, with Indian exports dropping from 18,700 tonnes in 1895 to 1,000 in 1913.
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British Imperialism and its Legacies: Textiles & Fashion Industry
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