Calico-weaving manufacture and intraindustrial markets in Catalonia, 1796- 1807. A first approach

Abstract

Between 1780-1808, vertical integration (weaving, bleaching and printing) of the calicoprinted firms of Barcelona was replaced by a growing vertical specialization, which stemmed from independent small and medium enterprises spread throughout Catalonia. These businesses, which tended to integrate spinning – specially since the diffusion of the jenny – and weaving, operated in the markets of raw cotton and unbleached calicoes. The former was very competitive and the commodity was mainly paid in cash or on short-term credit. In the latter, manufacturers sold the unbleached calicoes to merchants or printing-manufacturers and they were paid on medium-term credit. According to our findings, in both the markets, cotton-weaving manufacturers were not constrained significantly by the market power of agents that acted at the same time as suppliers of raw cotton and buyers of grey calicoes.