"1911 ""Guadeloupean Woman."" The elaborate tartan headpiece worn by Guadeloupean woman can be traced back to the middle ages where the eastern Indian city of Madras was famed for its cotton making. First plain, then striped and then with increasingly elaborate patterns, the Madras fabric that was exported and used as headwraps was eventually influenced by the Scottish in colonial India, leading to a Madras inspired tartan known as 'Madrasi checks', which in the colonial empires made its way to the French occupied Caribbean. Like many of the traditional costumes from all over the world, the headpiece decoration in many cases was indicative of the married status of the wearer."
A colorized portrait of a woman with her hair styled in an updo, wearing a patterned dress and a headpiece with a plaid design.
A colorized portrait of a woman with her hair styled in an updo, wearing a patterned dress and a headpiece with a plaid design.