Cotton is a soft natural fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant, and the term also refers to the cloth woven from it. In the antiques and textiles world, cotton is encountered in printed chintzes, calicoes, muslins, quilts, samplers, household linens, lace and dress fabrics.
Cotton textiles were imported into Europe from India in large quantities from the seventeenth century by the trading companies, and brightly coloured painted and printed Indian chintzes became extremely fashionable. In Britain the mechanisation of spinning and weaving in the late eighteenth century, centred on Lancashire, made cotton cheap and plentiful and lay at the heart of the Industrial Revolution. Copperplate and later roller printing produced the toiles and furnishing chintzes used for bed hangings, curtains and loose covers in country houses. Early printed cottons, hand-blocked fabrics, patchwork quilts and fine whitework embroidery are all collected. Condition is important, as cotton fades in sunlight, can become brittle and is vulnerable to staining and mildew. Antique and vintage cotton fabrics remain popular for re-covering chairs and cushions, bringing softly faded colour and authentic pattern to period rooms.
