Scottish Rumal Neckerchief

This stylish silk twill neckerchief reinterprets a kaleidoscopic wool shawl crafted in Scotland around the year 1870. Now in The Met collection, the original textile is an exceptional European adaptation of a pieced rumal, an Indian fabric used to make dresses and handkerchiefs. The shawl was regarded as a high-fashion accessory between the late 1700s and the 1870s, integrated into European dress by way of men familiar with Indian and Persian design through the Trading Companies. By the 19th century, Paisley, Scotland, was the primary center for machine-woven Indian- and Persian-inspired shawls.