Hemp or Chanvre in French is a plant in the botanical class of cannabis sativa cultivars grown specifically for industrial use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. It was also one of the first plants to be spun into usable fibre 50.000 years ago. It can be refined into a variety of commercial uses including rope, textiles ,clothing etc. In France Hemp or Hennep has ben very popular since the 18th Century and maybe even before because of its enormous strength characters. These 7 tea towels ,as far as I can make out date from the middle to the end of the 19th Century and have been sparsely used or maybe even never as they appear like new, but old. The large initials S.P. have been hand embroidered in single cross stitch and there are 2 vertical red borders on each side; The dimensions of 62x82cm are exceptional for the late 19th Century. They should be housed and shown in a local museum apart four domestic use.