A weaver weaving checked cloth on a pit-loom, Unknown artist, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, c.1860 V&A, 07363:15/(IS)

Although handkerchief traders often supplied samples of the kinds of patterns preferred by different markets, they relied on South Indian weavers to creatively modify those patterns into new designs each season. By modifying the qualities of the yarns, the arrangement of different coloured threads on the loom, the size and the finishes after weaving, weavers could create new handkerchief styles or alter old ones.

Over time, different communities across South India developed their own unique handkerchief varieties, of which Madras was initially only one.

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