Length of silk, comprising four uncut handkerchiefs of red and white checked silk, with spots of gold-wrapped thread in the centre of each check. Textiles, 4 uncut silk handkerchiefs, Tiruchchirappalli, ca. 1855. Intended for use as handkerchiefs when cut. MADRAS HANDKERCHIEFS South Indian handkerchiefs - worn around the neck, the waist, or as a head-coverwere sold around the world. Ikat-dyed handkerchiefs from the south-east coast, known as telia rumals, were sent to the Persian Gulf. Madras-check cottons from south India were a major component of the British trade with West Africa. From Africa, they travelled with the slave trade to the West Indies. More elegant versions were made in silk and metal thread. Length of telia rumals Cotton (double ikat weave) Chirala, Andhra Pradesh, 1994 V&A: 1S.9-1994 Length of cotton Madras-check handkerchiefs Mangalore, Karnataka, about 1855 V&A: 4869 (IS) Length of silk Madras-check handkerchiefs Silk with metal-wrapped thread Tiruchirappalli (Trichinopoly), Tamil Nadu, about 1855 V&A: 4915 (IS) [03/10/2015-10/01/2016]