'Manufactures du Meslay, 1736, Toilles a Carreaux' from Echantillons d'Etoffes et Toiles des Manufactures de France Maréchal de Richelieu France, 1736 Bibliothèque nationale de France

Earliest Madras imitations on European looms

As early as the 1730s manufacturers in Europe were attempting to capitalise on global tastes for South Indian checked cotton handkerchiefs by imitating them on European looms. This sample book from 1736 records how Meslay, France, made 'handkerchiefs which are like those of Mazulipatam'.