Beautiful traditional Welsh Nursing Shawl.
Very rare do we see an antique nursing shawl in such fine condition. ( just several tiny well executed darns )
Fine ply Welsh wool - subtle colours with fine crossover stripes , ample fringe all round .
Customarily used to carry baby throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century ( and before ) by both men and women.
The big shawl has been in demand for centuries in the steep sided valleys of Wales, as a very practical way of carrying a baby, keeping mother warm and leaving both hands free. Perambulators are not a practical proposition in such hilly areas and the siol magi has for centuries provided a solution to many of the problems of valley mothers (taken from The Textiles of Wales by Ann Sutton)
