Paisley shawls

Square Paisley shawl of ca 1830
1860s ambrotype of an unnamed British veteran and his wife; the woman is wrapped in a Paisley shawl

Paisley shawls were a fashionable item of women's clothing in Europe during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Many were made of intricately woven and delicate wool, as well as examples being printed onto silks, wools, and cotton. These pieces were highly decorative. Although now known as the Paisley pattern, the teardrop motif originated in Persia and India, becoming popular in Europe—and synonymous with Paisley, Renfrewshire, therefore earning name-association with the town—in the nineteenth century.[1]

  1. ^ "Textile Collection". www.renfrewshireleisure.com. Retrieved 10 December 2015.