Intriguing Heirlooms?
The Canton Shawl
Many of these shawls are still in existence, sometimes languishing screwed up in a corner or as a piano cover. They represent one of the most widely imported costume pieces to the western world of the second half of the 19th century. A detail of one is shown here:
They generally began to be imported into Europe after the 1860s and became more fashionable as the interest in Orientalism began to grow, widely reflected across all the arts, especially seen in work by artists such as Whistler. They were popular until the 1920s, again another era where Japonoiserie and Chinoiserie were the height of fashion.
Although called Canton shawls, the majority were actually made in the Phillipines adopting the Canton manner of double-sided embroidery. They are sometimes also called "Spanish" shawls, which reflects their initial market in the Spanish speaking areas of South America and in Spain itself.
Today they survive in some numbers of varying quality. The simplest ones are on ivory or black silk grounds with the reverse silk embroidery of peonies. The colour of grounds can vary considerably however, from cerise and electric blue through to pastels. Likewise the embroidery can also be various colours or self-coloured and include butterflies, finches, pheasants, and at the most elaborate, figurative scenes. The later ones are sometimes machine embroidered and have cheaper silk grounds. All in their original state, have the signature knotted silk fringe.
They are still sought after by collectors today and still hold particular appeal for the Spanish market. They are also becoming fashionable items in their own right once more, as the appeal of Orientalism maintains its sway and influence over contemporary fashion.