The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-10-10

While the British officers we're
fighting in Egypt, the men of
Paisley, Scotland, we're weaving
the beautiful cloth for which
Paisley had been famous for
century. Burns had Tam o
Shanter say, "A Guilty sark O
Paisley harm"
These weavers were an unusu-
ally intelligent class of workmen
and we're responsible for many
inventions still used on power
looms.
The gorgeous India shawls had
captivated the women, but they
were difficult to procure. So some
enterpriSing Scotchman turned
the talents of the Paisley weaverS
toward making shawls initiating
those from India.
BY 1920 the Paisley shawl was
delighting the women of fashion
and making the weavers of Pals
ley rich. A shawl was The favor
lite gift of the returning Yankee
skipper, which may account for
their prevalence in New England
They became the universal bridal
gift, and in Scotland the bride
had to be "kirked" dressed for
church, in a shawl, regardless of
the weather. She wore a white
one in summer and a dark one
in winter.
QUEEN VICTORIA ordered
~ seventeen made for her in
1912 and wore one at the chris
tening of the prince of Wales
Cater King EdwardD. 1t was very
beautiful, with a large white CEN
ter, joined by a floral design in
tones of rose to a heavenly blue
border. This was very distinctive,
as in most Paisley shawls the de-
sign extends to the fringe.
The designs for the shawls were
uniformly similar, as they were
copied from the motifs of the
India craftsmen which portrayed
the Mohammedan religious SYM
bols. The cone which represents
fertility, predominated.
The shawls usually were made
in two sizes, a square single and
a double. They all had plan CEN
tiers or either black, red, green or
white.
Those with white centers are
the most rare, beautiful, and val
liable. I cherish the white CEN
tered one, pictured, more than
my others, though a dark one is
Of finer weave.
In 1860 John Cunningham in
vented a way to weave the shawls
double, so that both sides would
be alike, but, about that time,
fashion decreed that there should
be sleeves in women's outer
wraps, and the shawl was doomed.
The queen tried to help the in
dustry keep alive by ordering and
wearing the shawls herself, and
the weavers tried to help them
selves by making cheaper shawls.
But that hurt rather than helped.
ShaWlS no longer were the fash
ion and women wouldn't wear
them, so by 1885 the industry al
most had entirely expired.
II
TINE French also had been max
Il ing Shawls similar to those
of Paisley, but never achieved the
perfection Of design, color and
weaving that distinguished the
Scotch product.
This too brief existence of the
shawl industry is an epoch in
the life and fortunes of Pals
ley, Scotland, as we'll as Women's
fashions. The Paisley shawl
represents the skill, art and indi-
viduality of the maker. as we'll as
his love of the beautiful, for
each shawl was made entirely by
hand and by one weaver.
Although the shawls no longer
were fashionable, they were cher
ished, not only because they were
beautiful, but because, usually to
the owner, they marked a ro-
mantle episode in her life.
For that reason, a great many
of them have been preserved. so