Weaving and Spinning

Hand-spun and woven cotton cloth was probably the most important commodity exported from India during the 1700s and 1800s. The British East India Company expanded to manage the business of textile production and international sale. The humble conditions under which Indian weavers and spinners worked are depicted here, where simple looms are made from crude branches, and the craftsmen work on the ground. The inscriptions at the top of the page indicate the artist’s name and the workers’ occupations.