The legendary fabric that no one knows how to make
March 19, 2021 8:57 AM Subscribe
Dhaka muslin: Was it woven by mermaids? No, but it was combed with fish teeth. Was it spun underwater? No, but on boats in the middle of rivers. Were you really clothed if you wore it, or were you just walking around naked? Was it beautiful? Everyone thought so, especially Prof. Sunny Singh's mom. And can it be made again?
In some arts we are definitely moving backwards.
Another ultra-fine, lost fabric was discussed in an earlier post.
Wish that article had more pictures. I’d love to see a whole garment of Dhaka muslin with close-ups showing the thread count (maybe with a banana for scale).
posted by kinnakeet at 9:41 AM on March 19, 2021
Another ultra-fine, lost fabric was discussed in an earlier post.
Wish that article had more pictures. I’d love to see a whole garment of Dhaka muslin with close-ups showing the thread count (maybe with a banana for scale).
posted by kinnakeet at 9:41 AM on March 19, 2021
It was all going so well – then the British turned up.
Pretty much always true. They couldn't scale the process, they couldn't grow the fine cotton elsewhere, so they effectively destroyed it for everyone. Fuck the British East India Company, and all who profited from it.
(That would include me. Some of my ancestors were “sma’ shot” weavers in Paisley, producing the almost invisible binding stitches in Paisley Pattern shawls. These shawls were a direct appropriation of Kashmiri boteh patterns, produced in bulk for the 19th century fashion market. Most of my weaving/spinning side of the Caldwell family got an offer they couldn't refuse to move to Newark, NJ to set up a works for Clark Thread. I don't think being moved to Newark is adequate penance.)
posted by scruss at 9:57 AM on March 19, 2021 [10 favorites]
Oh wow, I was just about to post on this topic! You beat me to it Hypatia. :) Offering mine in your thread.
Woven air, made of tree cotton
The ancient fabric that no one knows how to make. The original muslin from Bengal, the eastern province in India, was made of a distinct type of cotton that grows on trees. So gossamer a textile, it's like spinning spider's web silk. The stuff of goddesses.
6 yards of this muslin fabric is so fine, it can pass through a finger ring
If one is looking to buy something made of airy muslin, super lightweight clothing, quilts or sari, key words searching it might include Jaipuri razai, Behula Dhakai jamdani saree
posted by nickyskye at 10:22 AM on March 19, 2021 [15 favorites]
Woven air, made of tree cotton
The ancient fabric that no one knows how to make. The original muslin from Bengal, the eastern province in India, was made of a distinct type of cotton that grows on trees. So gossamer a textile, it's like spinning spider's web silk. The stuff of goddesses.
6 yards of this muslin fabric is so fine, it can pass through a finger ring
If one is looking to buy something made of airy muslin, super lightweight clothing, quilts or sari, key words searching it might include Jaipuri razai, Behula Dhakai jamdani saree
posted by nickyskye at 10:22 AM on March 19, 2021 [15 favorites]
One can buy one of these airy, sheer muslin works of art on Etsy. Made by the traditional artisans in Lucknow, India. LucknowiArts. I think this tunic is pretty fabulous.
posted by nickyskye at 10:49 AM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by nickyskye at 10:49 AM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
This is really cool. Hyper-local industries that were famous in the ancient world is just so fascinating to me for some reason.
posted by Think_Long at 11:10 AM on March 19, 2021
posted by Think_Long at 11:10 AM on March 19, 2021
Fantastic article with wonderful links. Thanks for posting!
posted by glasseyes at 12:49 PM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by glasseyes at 12:49 PM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
There are a bunch of results in the V&A collection search.
posted by janell at 2:03 PM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by janell at 2:03 PM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
Note that the really lovely figured cloth is on the later pages of those search results.
posted by janell at 2:07 PM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by janell at 2:07 PM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
One can see contemporary jamdani muslin saris on eBay. Jamdani is the muslin with a design woven into it.
For years I've used a super soft Jaipuri razai, a muslin lightweight quilt. Perfect for the interim Spring, early summer and fall months. It feels like a blanket made by fairies.
posted by nickyskye at 2:22 PM on March 19, 2021 [2 favorites]
For years I've used a super soft Jaipuri razai, a muslin lightweight quilt. Perfect for the interim Spring, early summer and fall months. It feels like a blanket made by fairies.
posted by nickyskye at 2:22 PM on March 19, 2021 [2 favorites]
I really enjoyed this thread by Natania Baron
8 - And of all the muslins, Dhaka was the most prized -- the price was more than 26x that of even the finest silks. Even today's fine muslins don't come close to them.
The BBC article that circulated earlier this week was a good overview, but they do bury the lede a bit.
9 - The reason that no one knows how to make Dhaka muslin is because the English purposefully, strategically, & devastatingly ruined the economy of the area once they learned how make muslin themselves.
Then they destroyed their competitors by taxing muslin over 75%.
10 - Couple that with a series of natural disasters & the extinction of their cotton plant - Gossypium arboreum var. neglecta (Phuti karpas) - and that's how it "disappears". It was cultural erasure. Deliberate.
Everything "Indian" became trendy. So you get bullshit like this.
posted by cendawanita at 12:31 AM on March 23, 2021 [3 favorites]
8 - And of all the muslins, Dhaka was the most prized -- the price was more than 26x that of even the finest silks. Even today's fine muslins don't come close to them.
The BBC article that circulated earlier this week was a good overview, but they do bury the lede a bit.
9 - The reason that no one knows how to make Dhaka muslin is because the English purposefully, strategically, & devastatingly ruined the economy of the area once they learned how make muslin themselves.
Then they destroyed their competitors by taxing muslin over 75%.
10 - Couple that with a series of natural disasters & the extinction of their cotton plant - Gossypium arboreum var. neglecta (Phuti karpas) - and that's how it "disappears". It was cultural erasure. Deliberate.
Everything "Indian" became trendy. So you get bullshit like this.
posted by cendawanita at 12:31 AM on March 23, 2021 [3 favorites]
That's a great thread which is a must-read.
At a greater length, the book "Inglorious Empire" by Shashi Tharoor is a good guide to what the British Empire actually did in India. Most Britons have a vague idea that the British were a bit rough but brought economic benefits to India: in fact Indian industry existed in a sophisticated form, but was systematically plundered and then destroyed except for the production of raw materials. Tariffs, restrictions and simple theft were deliberately used to undermine Indian industry and keep it from competing with British production.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 3:00 AM on March 23, 2021
At a greater length, the book "Inglorious Empire" by Shashi Tharoor is a good guide to what the British Empire actually did in India. Most Britons have a vague idea that the British were a bit rough but brought economic benefits to India: in fact Indian industry existed in a sophisticated form, but was systematically plundered and then destroyed except for the production of raw materials. Tariffs, restrictions and simple theft were deliberately used to undermine Indian industry and keep it from competing with British production.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 3:00 AM on March 23, 2021
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posted by cendawanita at 9:09 AM on March 19, 2021 [3 favorites]