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The history of cotton can be traced from its domestication, through the important role it played in the history of India, the British Empire, and the United States, to its continuing importance as a crop and commodity. The history of the domestication of cotton is very complex and is not known exactly. [1]
Kalamkari is an ancient textile printing art that finds its roots in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The ancient textile printing art form is believed to have evolved about 3000 years ago in Andhra Pradesh. Kalamkari gained popularity in the south of India during the reign of Vijayanagara Empire.
The history of textile arts is also the history of international trade. Tyrian purple dye was an important trade good in the ancient Mediterranean. The Silk Road brought Chinese silk to India, Africa, and Europe, and, conversely, Sogdian silk to China. Tastes for imported luxury fabrics led to sumptuary laws during the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Maya women have woven cotton with backstrap looms for centuries, creating items such as huipils or traditional blouses. Elaborate Maya textiles featured representations of animals, plants, and figures from oral history. [10] In modern times, weaving serves as both an art form and a source of income. [11]
Scraps of wool fabric from the Bronze Age and Iron Age have been found in the salt mines of Hallstatt Austria. The fabric scraps were residuals of rags used in the mines. The rags, in turn were scraps from worn out garments. The Bronze age fabrics are relatively coarse in part due to the coarse wool available from the sheep at the time.
Cotton fibers from the kapok tree has been extensively used by the Dagomba to produce long strips of fibre to make the Ghanaian smock. Other fiber materials included undyed wild silk used in Nigeria for embroidery and weaving, as well as barkcloth from fig trees used to make clothes for ceremonial occasions in Uganda, Cameroon, and the Congo.
When the first colour was finished, the finished fabric was set aside to dry. If more than one colour was used, once the fabric was dry, a block with the next colour would be inked and carefully impressed over the image left by the first. The same process and the same blocks could be used for making both fabrics and wallpaper.
Another fiber art technique is quilting in which layers of fabric are sewn together. Although this technique has not been around for as long as weaving, it is a popular form of art in American history. Recently, quilted fiber art wall hangings have become popular with art collectors. This non-traditional form often features bold designs.