They owe their name to the traditional manufacturing of painted and printed cotton canvases in the East and in India and imported into Europe in the 17th century. The indiennes were so popular in France and England, that the first manufacturing centres grew rapidly in Marseille, Rouen, Nantes and even Jouy-en-Josas.
The exhibition, organized by the Villa Rosemaine (Toulon), presents a history of painted textiles by bringing together pieces from the earliest days of the trade to its industrialisation at the end of the 19th century, and includes European pieces alongside rarities from Turkey and Iran.