The handsome curtain seen here, one of a pair, demonstrates two key influences in 19th century French printed cottons: naturalism and exoticism. Parallel with the ideas of Rousseau, fabrics of the late 18th and early 19th centuries display a tendency towards refined, naturalistic designs in which particular species of flora and fauna can be readily identified and each motif is rendered in scrupulous detail. An equally significant influence on French textile design was that of imported painted-and-dyed cottons from India, with their brilliant, rich colors and exotic subjects. Indiennes—French cottons printed in imitation of Indian textiles—were an enormously popular genre through the first half of the 19th century, and were created in a variety of scales for different purposes. The bold vertical pattern on this cotton incorporates sinuous vines bearing lush roses and exotic flowerheads, ripe pommegranates, leafy fronds, and parrots pearched atop the fruits; the large-scale print was well-suited for use in furnishing schemes.

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