Page:The People of India — a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan Vol 8.djvu/162

TAILORS. and is even more graceful. It is probable, we think, that the art of tailoring did not exist in India till after the Mussulman conquest. All the ordinary garments of the Mussulmans, whether of men or women, except scarves, required to be cut out and joined together in certain patterns, and Hindoo artizans readily acquired the practice necessary for the purpose; and while male tailors are frequently found among the lower classes of Mussulmans, females are also employed by the rich as milliners, who are called Mogulanees, in allusion perhaps to the Mogul origin of their craft.

Tailors in general make excellent quilted cloths to throw over beds, not as counterpanes, but to lie upon, and many of the quilting patterns are both graceful and ingenious. They also make quilted tunics for cold weather wear, which are at once warm and serviceable. They also make rezzais or quilted counterpanes, thin cotton being introduced between the surface cloth, which may be chintz, silk, or satin, and the muslin lining—which are exceedingly soft, warm, and comfortable.