Shawl 1840-60 probably Scottish This fine European shawl nicely illustrates how their mills were producing machine woven copies of popular Indian shawl patterns throughout the first three-quarters of the 19th century.The shawl held a place as a high fashion accessory for a relatively large period between the end of the 18th century to the 1870s. These accessories were originally adopted by men with exposure to India and Persia through the Trading Companies. The changing fashions near the end of the 18th century brought a renewed interest in Indian and Persian shawls as a form of warmth over the thin muslins of fashionable Empire silhouette dresses. The shawls came in many designs which generally incorporated the boteh form. This form, which is mostly known as the paisley now, is an ancient Persian design based upon the tree of life and inspired by buds, cones and palm fronds. These objects were hand woven and extremely costly which inspired European manufacturers to attempt to produce