The pattern on this shawl can also be seen in many images of Galway shawls from early 20th century. Samples with similar, but not identical patterns, can be found in the collections in Paisley Museum. Although the nap is worn away and there are other signs of wear, it is in relatively good condition. The fringe is in better condition than the body of the shawl which indicates that they were a later addition. According to A.M. Stewart in an article on Paisley Shawls in Scottish Home and Country (1932) ‘it was not uncommon to have a shawl returned to the makers half-worn, to be cleaned and refringed’. In the same article he also gives the price of a good fur shawl with a fancy netted fringe as between three to five guineas. The practice of re-fringing shawls may also have been carried out locally as evidenced by the photograph taken by the French women, Marguerite Mespoulet and Madeleine Mingon-Alba in 1913 in of a woman in Galway making fringes for shawls. This has been sometimes referred to as a ‘ring’ shawl, called apparently after the circular nature of pattern motif. This should not be confused with what are called ‘ring shawls’ in other textile traditions and cultures, where there are stories of shawls being so fine that they could be drawn through a thumb-ring or a wedding ring.
Dr Dan Coughlan, Curator of Textiles, Paisley Museum, Scotland
