Calicut, now known as Kozhikode, is a city in India that has a particularly interesting relationship with the British Empire. Originally the city played a large part in trade for Arab traders, but eventually become a central player in the British East India Company. The reason this city become so important is primarily due to the material Calico, whose name comes from the city itself.

Calico has roots at least beginning in the 11^th century in India and in the 17^th and 18^th centuries it became a craze in the trade between India and Europe- particularly Great Britain. Indian weavers would create patterns that were exciting to the foreign taste, and much more elaborate than what was traditionally worn at home. Calico quickly was popularized in Britain, but this led to issues.

Calicut began to be a primarily produce calico as their main source of export, but Britain left them when manufacturers began to desire to benefit from the craze themselves. The market was still hot and mills began to spread across the country to support this demand. The piracy of ideas didn’t stop with British taking Calicut’s product, but within the country conflict began.

Country calico makers began to rip off city calico makers. The conflict even went to the government level, some desiring a copyright be placed on the prints. Others argued that this would decrease their opportunities for creative freedom. In the end, Parliament allowed for a nine-month copyright. The conflict settled, but there were irreparable changes with this new height of industry in Britain. Calicut was also affected when the Empire suddenly left them- taking their ideas- and leaf them with little to no market on what had become their own main export.

This is important to Victorian Literature, because material plays a large role in various pieces. North and Southexplicitly mentions calico, and the rapid Industrialization, that calico played a large role in, is also central to North and South.

Work Cited:

“Calico.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/calico-textile.

Blakemore, Erin. “Victorian England Had a Problem with Cloth Piracy.” 2017 Victorian England Had a Problem With Cloth Piracy, , https://daily.jstor.org/victorian-england-had-a-problem-with-cloth-piracy/

“Kozhikode.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/place/Kozhikode.