The cashmere shawl of the mid 1860s was..

Huge!

Paisley shawls were given as bridal gifts, at the death of a loved one, for babies born, and every imaginable gift-giving occasion between until the turn of the 19th into the 20th century when it became associated with little old ladies knitting by the fire and considered dowdy.

(Garment: actually an 1840 shawl, this is big enough to take the wearer into the larger skirts of the ’60’s)