Side by side
Chintz vs Calico
Chintz and calico are the same family of cloth at two levels of finish, and history keeps the words tangled. Calico is the base: plain-woven cotton, named for Calicut. Chintz is calico taken upmarket: printed with flowering designs and polished to a glaze. When eighteenth century Britain banned printed cottons, the law called them both calicoes; the shops sold the fancy ones as chintz.
Chintz
No. 064plain weave, printed and glazed · first documented 1600s
Calico
No. 028plain weave · first documented 1100s
The differences
| Aspect | Chintz | Calico |
|---|---|---|
| What it names | Printed AND glazed cotton, classically florals. | The plain cotton cloth itself; in US usage, small-print cotton. |
| Surface | Polished sheen from calendering or resin glaze. | Matte. |
| Register | Drawing rooms, upholstery, English country house style. | Workbaskets, quilting, utility. |
| The insult | Chintzy: overdecorated, cheaply showy. | Calico is safe from insult; it kept its plain name. |
Which to choose
If the cotton is printed with florals and shines, it is chintz. If it is plain or small-printed and matte, it is calico. The glaze is the dividing line, and it is also what eventually made chintz a punchline.
Common questions
- Why is a multicolor cat called calico?
- American English used calico for the cheap multicolor printed cottons of the general store, and the patched orange, black, and white coat of the cat looked like that cloth. The cat sense survives even where the fabric sense has faded.
- Does chintz have to be floral?
- Traditionally it leans floral, branching trees and sprigs from the Indian painted originals, but the defining feature today is the glazed finish on a printed cotton, whatever the print.
Sources & References
- 1.Chintz, Wikipedia
- 2.chintz, Online Etymology Dictionary
- 3.Calico, Wikipedia
- 4.Calico Acts, Wikipedia