Carpet weaving

Photograph of a row of children seated at a loom weaving carpets in the modern-day state of Jammu and Kashmir, taken by an unknown photographer in the 1890s. Carpet-making was said to have been introduced into the area from Persia and Central Asia. Kashmiri hand-knotted carpets are justly famous and the industry was encouraged during the middle of the nineteenth century when fine examples were shown at European international exhibitions. Shawl production, the main traditional craft in Kashmir, suffered a decline in the latter part of the nineteenth century and many who would have worked within it transferred to the production of carpets. These complex designs are produced by hand knotting different coloured wools or silks along the weft lines; medium to high quality carpets containing from 256-576 knots per square inch.