Fashionable women of means regularly sought out new Madras patterns, which merchants relied on South Indian weavers to create. In 1796 the British East India Company sent 'some of the most approved patterns' for the West Indian market to Chennai. They instructed that the patterns were only to be used as guides 'which an ingenious manufacturer may diversify to an infinite variety'.

As luxury products, consumer expectations were high and quality was of paramount concern. When the Company could not get copies of the most popular Masulipatnam handkerchief patterns of 1802, they described them in precise detail to ensure the weavers understood what kinds of styles Caribbean consumers wanted for the coming season. The patterns are explained down to the number of threads in a stripe, and the letter specifies that the new pieces must all be of 'superfine' quality.

Related Database Records

Entry no. 104: On the use of handkerchiefs and coarse textiles in the French Caribbean and the role of Indian weavers in the French East India Company textile trade.