Picture Details
A woman ginning cotton
Partner:
British LibraryImage reference:
BL.Add.Or.84Origin:
Indian SubcontinentArtist / Date:
Unknown, 1815-1820Description:
Click here for more details
Cotton has an ancient history in the Indian subcontinent; traces of cotton fabric have been found at the site of the Indus Valley Civilisation (c.2300 to c.1600 BC). The country was premier in cotton trading for thousands of years. One of the earliest references to cotton in the world comes from the Rig-Veda, the ancient collection of hymns dating from 1500 BC in India. Cotton is widely grown all over India and traditionally women clean and spin it while men dominate the weaving process. This painting depicts a woman turning rollers to separate the cotton fibres or lint from the seeds, a process called cotton-ginning. The cleaned cotton would then be spun into yarn, using charkhas or spinning wheels.
