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ICR Masthead

Lectures - Autumn 2009

Speaker: Caroline Washington

These talks will include an opportunity to view textiles from a unique personal collection.

The story of the Paisley Shawl

21st November

The Paisley motif is of ancient Indian origin. Using examples of Persian, Kashmiri, French, English and Scottish shawls from her collection, Ms Washington will illustrate the development of the Paisley Shawl from the late 18th to the mid 19th century. Shawls of great beauty and craftsmanship were brought by ambassadors from Persia and Kashmir to royalty in the west and under royal patronage these remarkable shawls had an extraordinary impact on the weavers of France and Britain.

Patterns in Silk: How an eastern technique came to the west

28th November

Silks have been known in the West since Roman times when they were brought at great expense by caravan along the Silk Route from China. Silk textiles were the height of luxury and only the very rich and powerful could afford them. From the 5th century onwards the secret of silk manufacture gradually spread along the Silk Route from Persia to Western Europe and finally England during the reign of James I. This talk traces the development of silk manufacture in the west with slides and examples from the 16th century to the present day.

CAROLINE WASHINGTON has worked in the textile industry as a designer and buyer for over 40 years and has travelled from Morocco to China researching and collecting textile patterns. Her remarkable collection includes an archive of Italian and French silks from the 16th century onwards, Paisley Shawls and French Toiles de Jouy and unique textiles from the peoples of the Middle East and Asia. She has a special interest in gardens and the use of plant forms in textiles and in the exchange of ideas between the East and the West.