The Wearing of Shawls

A good shawl could bestow dignity on its wearer. It was evidence of status ‑ a prized possession. Yet in the course of the 19th century the shawl became available to all classes in some form.

The shawl was a fashionable garment for almost a hundred years. In the course of the 19th century the size and shape of the shawl changed to suit the fashions of the day. Both square and rectangular shawls became gradually larger as the skirts widened from the 1830s onwards. The way a woman wore a shawl also changed as shawls grew in size, and the decoration or design on the shawl was modified to fill the larger dimensions.

In the very early years the cost and difficulty in obtaining the exotic Indian shawls, and even the home produced imitations, restricted their use to the very affluent. We can see from portraits and fashion plates that the shawl at this time was elegantly arranged as though it were an ornamental extra, rather than a functional garment. Formal demonstrations of shawl draping were incorporated in etiquette and deportment classes or appeared in ladies' magazines. The correct management of the shawl indoors and out was a test of social gentility.

As the shawls became larger and heavier in the 1850s and 1860s, they could not be draped in the same way. They encased the whole body and concealed the shape of women who were advised to control their shawl by "pressing their arms against their breasts".

Shawls began to lose favour in the 1870s when fashions began to follow and exaggerate the natural body shape. Many shawls were then cut up and re‑modelled into closer‑fitting mantles or jackets.


Throughout the century a shawl was considered a fitting wedding gift, and it was often worn as part of the wedding outfit. Special shawls might be passed on down through the generations from mother to daughter. They were a symbol of love, and as such were also sometimes given as christening gifts. In Scotland special 'kirking' shawls given as wedding presents were worn for church on the first Sunday following the marriage.

Fashion plate showing shawl fashions
Yarmouth ladies in their shawls