Global Perspective: Palampores
Written by Linzee Kull McCray
In the 1700s, when most Europeans were using linen and wool dyed in earthy tones, dynamic fabric panels from India, known as palampores, emerged on the scene. Brought back by traders from an Indian region renowned for its dyeing skills, palampores, composed of a single width of fabric, were valued for their bright colors and intricate detail.
“Imagine the impact on people who had never seen textiles with such vibrant colors and rich shading,” says Carolyn Ducey, curator of the International Quilt Study Center & Museum (IQSCM) in Lincoln, Nebraska.
These block-printed and hand-painted textiles were all the rage in Europe, where residents loved their colorfast, floral designs and the cool, easily washed cotton on which they were printed. Threatened by the popularity of Indian cotton, European textile producers convinced their governments to ban Indian imports. By the time the ban lifted in the late 1700s, technological advances enabled Europeans to create printed cottons themselves.
Photo courtesy of International Quilt Study Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006.004.0003.
Continued on Page 2: Who Made Palampores?
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