Europe's Asian Centuries
Trading Eurasia 1600-1830
Global History and Culture Centre
Department of History - University of Warwick
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/ghcc/eac/
Research
Themes
• Asian Goods in the Political
Economy of Europe
Bringing global
perspectives and
interdisciplinary
methods to bear on
histories of
industrialization,
consumer society
and material culture
• Asian Goods and European
Consumer Cultures
Investigating the
long distance
trade between
Asia and Europe
in material goods
and culture that
transformed the
early modern
world.
• Asian Goods: Making and
Distributing
• Asian Goods and the
Transmission of Knowledge
• Asian Export Ware and
Industrial Revolution
People
Professor Maxine Berg
Project Director
Dr Helen Clifford
Museum Consultant
Dr Hanna Hodacs
Research Fellow
Ms Meike Fellinger
PhD Student
Dr Chris Nierstrasz
Research Fellow
Ms Anna Guszcza
Project Administrator
Dr Felicia Gottman
Research Fellow
Asian Goods and European
Consumer Cultures
Ordering lists
12
10
8
6
C olum n 1
C olum n 2
C olum n 3
4
2
0
R ow 1
R ow 2
R ow 3
R ow 4
Methodology
• Only ordering lists of the EIC
• Sample of several years: 1710, 1720,
1730, 1740, 1750
• A preliminary attempt to combine quantity
and quality
Orders from Asia
2000000
1800000
1600000
1400000
1200000
Bengal order
Bombay order
1000000
Coromandel Coast order
China order
800000
600000
400000
200000
0
1710
1720
1730
1740
1750
The wheel of fashion
Chucklaes
3000
2500
2000
1500
Chucklaes
1000
500
0
1710
1720
1730
1740
1750
The wheel of fashion
200000
180000
160000
140000
120000
100000
80000
60000
40000
20000
0
1710
1720
1730
1740
1750
Specification of quality
15000
Nillaes middling and
ordinary
10000
Nillaes very fine
5000
0
1710
Nillaes
1720
1730
1740
1750
Specification of quality
200000
180000
160000
140000
120000
100000
Sallempores fine
Sallempores middling
80000
Sallempores ordinary
Sallempores Fine F1 & 2
60000
40000
20000
0
1710
1720
1730
1740
1750
Dimensions of cloths
200000
180000
160000
Gurrahs, Superfine, very thick
140000
Gurrahs, finer
120000
Gurrahs of a better Sort
Gurrahs, 36 Covids long
100000
Gurrahs of Jugdea 72 Covids long
Gurrahs of 75 Covids long
80000
Gurrahs of 72 Covids long
60000
Gurrahs of 37 Covids and half long
Gurrahs of 36 Covids long
40000
Gurrahs of 30 Covids
Gurrahs of 15 yrd
20000
0
1710
1720
1730
1740
1750
Orders from samples
200000
180000
Longcloths Blue, deep dye, ordinary &
middling
160000
Longcloths Fine, F 1 & 2
140000
120000
Longcloths of a dark blue
100000
Longcloths browne
80000
Longcloths middling
60000
Longcloths ordinary
40000
Longcloths fine
20000
0
1710
Longcloths fine, white
1720
1730
1740
1750
Conclusions
Pros of our approach:
• Interaction between Europe and Asia from the
perspective of the history of consumption
• Comparison with the other companies
Cons of our approach:
• Difference between order and what was brought