Negro cloth facts for kids
Negro cloth (also called Lowell cloth) was a type of strong, rough fabric. It was used to make clothes for people who were enslaved in the West Indies and the Southern Colonies of North America. This cloth was brought in from Europe, mainly Wales, during the 1700s and 1800s.
The name Lowell cloth came from the town of Lowell in Massachusetts, United States. This is where some of the cloth was made.
Contents
What Was Negro Cloth?
Negro cloth was a woven fabric, often made from cotton or a mix of rough threads. It was also sometimes made at home. This fabric was usually cheap and not very high quality.
Some types of coarser long cloths and a fabric called Salampore from India were also known as "Guinea cloth" or "Negro cloth" by Dutch traders. "Guinea cloth" was a general name for different kinds of cheaper Indian fabrics. These included plain or patterned cotton cloths, like those with stripes or checks.
The Quality of the Cloth
Even though Negro cloth was tough and lasted a long time, people who wore it often found it rough and uncomfortable. Some people who had been enslaved later remembered the fabric feeling like "needles sticking one all the time."
What Was Made From It?
This fabric was used to make many different clothes. These included breeches (short trousers), jackets, skirts, bodices (tops), shirts, and longer trousers.
Laws About Clothing
In 1735, South Carolina passed a law called the Negro Act. This law listed several inexpensive materials that had to be used for the clothing of enslaved people. These materials included Negro cloth, duffelds, coarse kiersies, osnaburg, blue linen, checked linen, coarse calicoes, and checked cotton fabrics.
See also
- History of slavery in Virginia
- Osnaburg
- Perpetuana
- Tapsel (cloth)
