TALES OF THE LOST BANDANA

Romanian from the mid 20th century natural dies......

American late 1800's aka "Turkey red" no branding on this one not "color fast" .of course dry clean mandatory....

Marseille connection early 20th century on thin cotton...

Spanish probably of same origin....

American 1920's large size ....

Mexican 40's thicker than a American ....
American deco style....
Same period .....
Mid 30's deco styled of American origin..

FOUND in New Mexico 20 years ago...

50'S advertising example....

40'S work.....

Part of the ever growing collection...

As a follow up to my last post ,i've decided to talk a little bit , if i may,of what's the most recognised and widely used accessory in the world :the iconic BANDANA and it's Paisley based motif...

The name bandana comes from the Hindi"bandhana" wich means "to tie" .The name paisley, derives from the town of Paisley, in central Scotland where the motif was widely produce in the late 1800's.

The paisley pattern, is a motif resembling a twisted teardrop. The kidney-shaped paisley is of Persian and Indian origins.In the beginning the motif was weaved uniquely ,but due to its popularity the use of hand stamp for printing traditional "paisley" designs became common practice...

Paisley was first popular in the European Baltic states between 1700 and 1800 and was thought to be used as a protective charm against evil demons by the gypsies of northern Indian origins. However, in modern culture, the youth of these countries have used it as a symbol of rebellion.

the British conspiracy....

In the 19th Century European production of paisley started, particularly in the Scottish town from which the pattern takes its modern name[as mentioned above]. Soldiers returning from the colonies brought home cashmere wool shawls from India, and the" East India Company " later imported more. The design was copied from the costly silk and wool Kashmir shawls and adapted first for use on handlooms, and, after 1820 on Jacquard looms.

The "East India Company" at some point could not satisfy the increasing demand for the popular motif so,from roughly 1800 to 1850, the weavers of the town of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland, became the foremost producers of the motif. The key places of manufacture for weaved or printed paisley were Britain but also the Marseille and Alsace regions of France.......

the French connection:

Local manufacturers in Marseilles began to mass-produce the patterns via early textile printing processes around 1640. England, circa 1670, and Holland, in 1678, soon followed.As a result Europe's weavers found themselves with more competition than they could bear, and the production and import of printed paisley was forbidden in France by royal decree from 1686 to 1759. However, enforcement near the end of that period was lax, and France had its own printed textile manufacturing industry in place as early at 1746.

Paisley on cotton and wool in the 19th Century was major.and by the beginning of the 20th century the paisley pattern was being printed, rather than woven, onto other textiles, including cotton squares which were the precursors of the modern bandanna. Being able to purchase printed paisley rather than woven paisley brought the price of the costly pattern down and added to its popularity.