Indian cottons became an instant success in Europe and England in the 1600s. As a result, the livelihood of the domestic textile industries was threatened. Due to pressure from the industries, France and England instituted widespread bans on the importation of printed Indian cottons. According to one politician of the time, “nothing was thought so fit to adorn their persons as the fabric from India.” He indicated this was the case for women and men.
English Bans on Printed Cottons
According to Judith Straeten, author of Toiles de Jouy, the first ban in England that began around 1700 was limited to imported chintz. However, American colonists could still buy Indian cottons. In 1712 the English ban was tightened. An excise duty was placed on all printed cottons. The duty was doubled in 1714.
According to Bernard Grun, author of the 4th edition of Timetables of History, the new ban of 1721 went much farther than the earlier restrictions.This covered the importation, use and sale of all cotton, including domestic English cloth. The penalties included life imprisonment or banishment for those importing it into the country, trading, stocking, or utilizing it at any stage of its useful life, including tailors. The ban remained in place until 1774.
The French Bans on Printed Cottons
According to Straeten, the French had similar bans. They banned the importation of plain and printed cotton from India in the 1680s. Some years later, the French ban was modified to allow resist printing.
In her three part history of cotton fabrics published in Traditional Quiltworks, Kimberly Wulfert explains how the French ban was totally revoked in the late 1750s some years before the English lifted their restrictions. This gave French manufacturers a head start on modernizing their industry.
Later after the French Revolution, there was a high tariff on imported cottons coming into France. By favoring domestic fabrics, this allowed the French manufacturers to flourish according to Wulfert.
Effects of the Bans
The bans didn’t succeed in stopping all imported cottons from entering the affected countries. Although cotton materials weren’t as widely available, the trade didn’t entirely halt. Smuggling was very common.
Also, fabric printing industries developed in areas that weren’t covered by the bans, such as Mulhouse, which at that time wasn’t considered part of France. Germany and Switzerland also responded by establishing industries. During the bans, many mills moved to other parts of England. In addition, some English manufacturers found ways around the bans. As one strategy, they printed other fabrics instead of the usual 100% cotton. Examples include linen and various linen blends, such as linen/cotton. Fustian, which had a cotton weft and linen warp, was also printed. Though it resembled cotton, fustian could sometimes have a spotted appearance.
The End of the Bans
Once the bans were lifted the French and English cotton industries began to grow. As cotton became more popular than ever, it replaced Scottish and Irish linen. By the 1780s muslin had largely replaced most of the embroidered silks except for “the grandest occasion.” Consumers found that muslin was easy to keep clean. Consequently, people bought more soap, which eventually led to a tax on all soap products.
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