This very old piece of cloth is woven from New Zealand flax fibre (muka). It was sent from New Zealand to Australia in 1829, at a time Sydney merchants were very interested in muka as an item of trade. The fibre was prepared in New Zealand and exported to Sydney, where it was re-exported to Britain at a profit. The flax trade peaked in the early 1830s.
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National Library of Australia
Reference:
nla.pic-an3202598
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