The library with 200-year-old cloth samples

There are 18 volumes of this collection containing over 700 samples of different types of cloths

LAHORE: There are several historical documents and records housed in Lahore Museum Library. There are books in the library that have samples of different types of cloths prepared two hundred years ago on handlooms in the subcontinent.

This is the only catalog in Asia that is stored in this library. In 1862, the British government gave the responsibility to John Forbes Watson, who was deployed in the Indian office and a physician in Mumbai, to collect details of cloths manufactured in India. Forbes visited various parts of the subcontinent and gathered samples. In 1866, the first collection was exhibited and 1877 was the second collection being put on display.

Lahore Museum Library Senior Librarian Bashir Ahmed Bhatti said there were 18 volumes of this collection, containing over 700 samples of different types of cloths. These samples include samples of silk, khaddar (khadi) and cotton clothes worn by men, women, children in their routine life. Moreover, these samples included traditional attires of the subcontinent including saree, lungi and shawls.

Bhatti said 13 copies of this catalog were prepared. One of the copies of this 18-volume catalog was the part of the Lahore Museum Library while India and Bangladesh do not have this record.

He said John Forbes Watson, travelling long distances on a horse, collected these samples in many years. The cloths were dyed in vegetable colours in that era. “The designs, texture, quality and colour of these samples which are around 200 years old are still impressive. These samples look much better than the modern day clothes,” Bhatti said.

He said students were conducting research and writing their thesis with the help of this catalog. “The people related to fashion, design and textile industry can benefit from this catalog and its samples,” Bhatti said. The administration of Lahore Museum Library said the doors of the library were always open for those who wanted to benefit from this historical record.