Blog

Some six months ago we published a blog about various types of face masks recently added to the TRC Collection as a reflection of dress and identity in the era of the covid-19 pandemic. Over the last few months we have been given more face masks of three very different types, with very different backgrounds.

Face mask with Christian symbols, used in one of the Eastern Orthodox Churches, early 2021 (TRC 2021.0621).

A woollen bernos from Debre Berh, central Ethiopia (TRC 2021.0814).On the 16th March 2021, I noted in a blog that: "...last Tuesday someone from Leiden came with an Ethiopian cape with, to my eyes, an unusual shape that could accommodate a rifle. A very practical garment!"

We have been doing some more research about this garment and this led to some interesting pieces of information. The garment is called a bernos, which is the same word as the Moroccan burnous, a large woollen cloak with a hood. It is worn by men from the highlands of Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The Ethiopian example now in the TRC collection (TRC 2021.0814) was bought by Mr. Polderman (Leiden) in the 1970’s, in Debre Berh, in the Shewa Province of central Ethiopia. It is made from a thick, woollen felt and has a red leather edging on the inside of the front and neck opening. There is also a line of embroidery just below the neck opening that is used to strengthen this area of the garment.

Man in market at Sololá, Guatemala (2007). Photograph by Caroline Stone.Guatemala is famous for its splendid textiles and for the traditional dress still worn by large numbers of indigenous women. Men adopted a version of Spanish regional costume shortly after the Conquest for a variety of reasons. More recently, they have tended to move on to modern Western dress, except in a few remote areas and for ceremonial occasions.

There are exceptions: for example, in Sololá some men wear jackets, essentially western in cut (TRC 2020.4573), and matching trousers of dark and richly coloured ikat (see the photograph of stall-holder in Sololá market). It is not clear how old this fashion is. Women’s clothing, on the other hand, still has close parallels with pre-Hispanic dress, as seen in paintings and statuettes, especially that worn for rituals connected with the cofradias or religious brotherhoods.

Women’s dress is generally untailored, based on rectangles, often woven by the woman herself on a back-strap loom and richly decorated with a number of techniques, including various types of brocading, soumak, ikat, as well as embroidery and appliqué, especially at the neck.

The world of textiles is sometimes mistakenly thought of as an all female realm. This is simply not the case. The TRC has many examples of textiles and accessories made and decorated by men. One such example is a small collection of Asafo flags from Ghana. The word Asafo comes from the words ‘sa’ (‘war’) and ‘fo’ (‘people’). Asafo flags represent different village male military companies. The Akan language of the Fante is rich in proverbs, and the images appliqued on Asafo flags often reflect this. Asafo refers to the military unit, while the flag itself is called ‘frank’ or ‘frankaa’.

Asafo flag from Ghana, mid-20th century (TRC 2015.0220).

Large sheet of bark cloth, for sale in Kampala, early 2021 (photograph Caroline Stone).It has been suggested that bark cloth may be the oldest textile in the world, pre-dating the invention of weaving. A number of cultures have made bark cloth, especially in Austronesia, and the earliest example is from South China, c. 6000 B.C. Others made use of bark in related ways. The Ainu, for example, split the bark of the Manchurian elm to make a thread that could be woven and in Russia birch bark has been used for centuries as a writing material, for shoes, bags and all kinds of containers - but not as a textile.

In Uganda, bark cloth - olubugo - seems to have originated around the 14th c. with the Baganda people of the kingdom of Buganda in the south of the country and according to oral tradition was originally reserved for royalty and for certain ritual purposes. Indeed, the mallets used for beating the cloth formed part of the royal regalia. Important examples of olubugo at the Kasubi Royal Tombs, a World Heritage site, were largely destroyed by fire in 2010.

Pair of baggy trousers with paisley motifs, USA, 1980's, marketed by the New York Clothing Company (TRC 2020.5135).There have been various developments with regards the current TRC’s paisley exhibition and related activities, which I thought you would like to know about.

Exhibition has been extended: Due to the present corona situation, it is unlikely that the TRC Leiden can open its doors to the general public until the end of June, beginning of July. So it has been decided to extend the exhibition From Buteh to Paisley: The story of a global icon to Thursday 16th December. This will give more people a chance to see this colourful and inspirational exhibition. The exhibition that was planned for the autumn will now open in February 2022 (it is an equally interesting exhibition about ikats from five continents!).

A film about the TRC’s exhibition: Thanks to the help of one of our volunteers, Augusta de Gunzbourg, there is now a film about the exhibition that can be seen at the new TRC YouTube channel.

Loan of the TRC paisley exhibition: We have had several enquiries about whether it is possible for the TRC paisley exhibition to travel to other venues. Yes, it is possible. The exhibition is available to museums and other institutes for periods of between 3-6 months at a time. Please contact me at Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken. if you would like further details.

Pair of trousers with buteh/paisley motifs, for a circumcision outfit of a young Turkish boy, early 20th century (TRC 2005.0351a).TRC Paisley exhibition - online: We have also created a digital version of the TRC exhibition that follows the main line of the actual, 'on-site' exhibition. In addition, we have added a lot more items that could not be fitted into the TRC Gallery version. Click here for the online exhibition.

Online talk about paisley for the Fowler Museum, Los Angeles: I have just given an online talk to the Textile Council at the Fowler Museum, Los Angeles, about the history of the paisley motif and the TRC exhibition. The talk was enjoyed by over 100 people and has been recorded by the Museum. If you would like to hear the talk (and have a spare hour) here is the link.

Paisley book?: Several people have asked if it would be possible to have semi-popular and fully illustrated book about the paisley motif and its history, from earliest known forms to the present day. We would be more than willing to organise it if there is a publisher who would take on the financial and distribution side of the story!

Gillian Vogelsang, Director TRC, 27 March 2021

Support the TRC and its many activities! 

Sun bonnet, USA, mid-20th century (TRC 2017.4241).The TRC collection houses two American examples of headwear that couldn’t have more different purposes. The cotton sun bonnet (mid-20th century, TRC 2017.4241) was a utilitarian item, used by women working on farms as protection from the sun. The two knitted pussy hats (TRC 2017.0186 and TRC 2017.0187) were made explicitly to wear during women’s protest marches against the election of former US President Donald Trump.

None of these examples can compare with the headwear created by American milliner Mildred Blount (1907-1974). In the 1930s and 1940s she was called ‘the milliner to the stars”, designing hats for celebrities such as Ginger Rogers, Marlene Dietrich, Gloria Vanderbilt and Joan Crawford. She was first exposed to millinery when she worked as an errand girl at Madame Clair’s Dress & Hat Shop in New York.

Pink, so-called pussy hat, worn by women demonstrating against President Donald Trump after his inauguration in January 2017 (TRC 2017.0187).In 1920 she saw an advertisement for work for milliner John-Frederics. This momentous step was later described by the African-American magazine Ebony in 1946: “It took courage for her to ring the bell at John-Frederics in answer to their ad, for this was the royalty of America’s hatters. They were taken aback. No Negro had ever applied before. Yes, she assured them she had talent. All she asked for was a chance. P.S.—She got the job.”

Always interested in historical styles, in 1939 she made a set of 87 miniature hats, reflecting styles from 1680 to 1937, for the World’s Fair in New York. The exhibition proved popular and brought Blount to the attention of Mrs. David Selznick, wife of the producer of the classic film “Gone with the Wind”. Blount won a contract for John-Frederics to design the film’s hats, and worked personally on all of Vivien Leigh’s headwear. This led to work on many other films.

Over the years the TRC in Leiden has been making a collection of embroidery booklets and other items relating to the famous French company of DMC.

Booklet with designs for Tenerife lace, published by DMC, early 20th century (TRC 2020.0393).

DMC (Dollfus-Mieg et Compagnie) was set up in the mid-eighteenth century by Jean-Henri Dollfus, Jean-Jacques Schmalzer and Samuel Koechlin. The three partners established a company known as Dollfus, based in Mulhouse, France. The company produced textiles with hand printed, Indian-style designs for the European market.

At the end of the eighteenth century Dollfus’s nephew, Daniel Dollfus, took over the business. In 1800, Daniel Dollfus married Anne-Marie Mieg and in the same year he gave the company a new name, Dollfus-Mieg et Compagnie (DMC).