The Paisley pattern shawl was an essential and versatile fashion accessory for ladies in the early to mid Victorian period. This one is made from a wool silk mixture and is thought to date from the 1840s.

This is a large, square paisley pattern shawl, with fringed edging. The recognisable 'tear drop' shapes and swirls of the Paisley pattern have been woven into the shawl in deep brown, red and blue colours.

The Scottish town of Paisley in Renfrewshire, became synonymous with the production of 'Paisley pattern' shawls, during the nineteenth century. The design actually originated in the Northern Indian Kashmiri area, where shawls had been manufactured since the seventeenth century.
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