Calico is a fabric made from unbleached, and often
not fully processed,
cotton. It may contain
unseparated husk parts, for example. The
fabric is less coarse and
thick than
canvas or
denim, but owing to its
unfinished and undyed appearance, it is still very cheap.
History
In 1700, Britain banned importation of
cotton cloth (or calico) from India,
in an effort to prop up British
textile
industry. Indian textiles were superior.
The ban failed, and was strengthened in
1720. It almost destroyed the Indian textile
industry, and India was forced to buy British
textiles.