Warm Wishes for the Bride

Tracie wrote about wedding gowns yesterday.

I thought I’d wrap up today by discussing bridal shawls. (Pun intended, in honor of PJ)

Before the Industrial Revolution, making cloth occupied much of a woman’s time. Only the wealthiest women had wedding gowns. New shoes for the wedding day were a great treat. Practicality reigned supreme…. But brides sometimes received a very prized gift: A shawl.

What could be more practical than a shawl? It could serve as a scarf while attending church, cover a woman from head to hips in bad weather, be unfolded and serve as a blanket, swaddle a baby, become a bedspread, tablecloth, picnic blanket…

In some cultures, like India, the groom gave the bride a shawl. Kashmir made the finest shawls—woven from the soft undercoat of the belly of their goats—fur called pashmina.  (Hmmm. Does that sound oh-so-modern? I have a few wonderful pashmina shawls. Do you?) Kashmir somehow got changed to cashmere.

An early and oft-seen type of shawl in portraits is white and airy. The artisan spun the very finest wool or goat hair, then knit into lace pieces that were veils, then worn for church. These were so fine, they could pass through a wedding ring! Such pieces, though, were still frivolous enough to be only for a wealthy bride.

Or maybe not. Women are determined, and once they get a notion in their minds, they find a way to make things happen. In Orenburg, Russia, the goats have exceptionally fine hair. Knit tightly, the shawls were exceptionally warm, yet thin. It wasn’t long before someone got the idea of pairing the goathair with silk. In the 1700s, Orenburg shawls became a huge industry. Many of these were so fine, they also passed through a wedding ring.

Napolean gave Eugenie a Kashmir shawl as a wedding gift. Europeans—and Americans took notice.

Paisley, Scotland and Norwich, England both made wondrous shawls. Often, shawls in England and America were called paisleys. Interestingly enough, the paisley teardrop pattern is only 250 years old. Before then, East Indian motifs depicted single plants with large flowers and thin wavy stems, small leaves and roots. Some of the pre-Revolutionary War shawls and quilts in America reflect that style. These shawls were exposed to heavier wear, so thicker weaves flourished.

Jenny Lind, the "Sweedish Nightengale" is shown here with her shawl on her lap.


Likewise, Marguerite-Charlotte David wanted to include her prized shawl in her portrait--but it would spoil the appearance of her gown, so it's on her arm. (Honestly, thought, could you take your eyes off that headpiece?!)

Madame Riviere owned both a ultra-fine lace shawl and a heavier cashmere shawl.Posing with both of them on (along with the jewelry) marked her as being a woman of style and wealth.

Harriet Beecher Stowe chose to wear her shawl when her picture was taken.
Young or old, rich or poor, women clung to their shawls.


China began exporting silk shawls with fringes by 1800, and embroidered ones appeared in Europe and America by 1820. These were called China shawls, China crepe shawls, and mantones de Manila because they were shipped from China to Manila to Spain. By 1865, Western culture veered away from these shawls, but they became part of folk dress in many other cultures.

Going from one extreme to the other, as the shawl fell out of style as an article of warmth in the late Victorian period, it turned into a decorative accessory. Lace that is almost all holes was created by Shetland knitting—and again, the wedding ring concept struck a romantic chord. Queen Victoria became an enthusiast, and soon knitting patterns for these shawls appeared in women’s periodicals.

 For all the wear and use shawls saw, they proved to be durable. During the Victorian era, a bride wore gloves with the fourth finger slit so the ring could be put on. Rarely did gloves last. Gowns turned into Sunday-best dresses, then everyday dresses or cut down for children. Shoes wore out. Yes, a wedding shawl often remained as the only garment from that long-ago day. Viewed as a treasure, they often were specifically willed to a favorite granddaughter or dear friend.

Warm wishes to you all,

 Cathy