Technological Transfer to the Catalan cotton industry: from calico-printing to the self-acting mule

In this article the take up of key inventions in the Catalan cotton industry, from the introduction of calico-printing in the 1730s to that of the self-acting mule in the 1840s, is plotted and the technical performance revealed is related to that of other centres of the European industry. The intention is to contribute to the understanding of the process of technological diffusion in cotton during the early stages of industrialization and to throw light on any particularities of the Catalan experience of the industry.