Following the Treaty of Amritsar in 1846, which established Gulab Singh as Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir under British suzerainty, the treaty included an obligation to present the British government with three pairs of Kashmir shawls annually, for delivery to Queen Victoria.
It is a remarkable detail in the history of a garment so often described today through beauty and luxury. These shawls existed within systems of diplomacy, power and political obligation, as well as trade and fashion.
The surprising part: a textile made by Kashmiri artisans could travel from a workshop into the highest levels of imperial diplomacy.
