“Spot'd” & paste work handkerchiefs, such as our Red Spotted & Paste Work Handkerchief, appear frequently throughout the 18th and into the 19th c. They are described in shop advertisements, runaway ads and appear often in genre paintings. Spotted designs originally made by the “tie & dye” method in India, were mimicked with block printing by English printers & dyers seeking to duplicate the popular patterns.
This Red Spotted & Paste Work Handkerchief is inspired by a sample in the Holker manuscript dated to the 1750's. It was likely listed in advertisements as spotted or paste. Its lively pattern was created by using a wax or paste applied with stamps to create the white areas, dyed the lighter orange color, then paste applied with blocks to create the flower motif, and finally dyed it's final dark red color.
Our Red Spotted & Paste Work Handkerchief:
- Measures approximately 38 inches square.
- 100% hand loomed cotton mull.
- Hand printed and hand finished.
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