The impetus to form a collection of Persian textiles in South Kensington was generated by the fear that modernization might weaken Iran's artistic traditions. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the building of an international telegraph system, the introduction of steam navigation on the Caspian Sea and improved transportation within Iran opened the country to foreign merchants who negotiated trade treaties which were seldom favourable to their hosts. Imported goods, especially textiles, were cheaper than those produced locally. In the 1850s cotton, woollen and silk cloth brought from Britain accounted for 66% of Iran's total imports; in the 1880s this had dropped a little to 63%. The competition from cheap imported goods coupled with a change in taste prompted the preference for foreign styles and had a severe effect on Iranian textile production. Several years of drought and famine, which resulted in as many as 2 million people dying in 1871-72, compounded the problems and many textile crafts almost ceased to exist. In 1876, to increase the presence of Iranian arts and crafts in London and to encourage the British to buy Iranian goods, the Shah instructed his Minister, Amin al-Mulk, to organise a gift of textiles to the Museum, including this example, which was delivered in March 1877.