Red & Black Flowered & Spot'd Cotton
Originating in India and the Middle East and introduced to Europe as early as the 17th century, muslin, such as this Red & Black Flowered & Spot'd Cotton, was described as "delicately woven cotton fabric" With the advent of the Spinning Jenny, its popularity soared during the last quarter of the 18th century.. It was highly desired for its lightness and ease of cleaning.
England was a major manufacturer and printer throughout the century, as was India, where the English derived many of their print patterns. In the colonies, India cotton and English goods of linen and cotton were worn. One and two-color prints of crude-to-complex designs were all within the reach of most social classes. The patterns varied widely, mimicking the fashions of the time. Common color themes were black and red(such as this Red & Black Flowered & Spot'd Cotton) , red and purple, double purple, double blue, and multi-colored, which often combined block printing with painting or penciling. Cotton found in England was rarer, thanks to sumptuary laws forbidding its wearing until the end of the century; however the thriving Manchester textile industry produced a fine linen/cotton textile in various grades which was printed to the highest perfection. These goods were equally exported to the colonies with the India cottons, and sometimes, but not always, distinguished as such.
- This Red & Black Flowered & Spot'd Cotton is light-weight and opaque with a soft drape.
- Well-suited for over-gowns and half-gowns, as well as accessories such as aprons, neckerchiefs, caps, tuckers and mantelets
- This Red & Black Flowered & Spot'd Cotton is 100% cotton, 54 inches wide.
