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Bandanna handkerchief piece-goods

Handkerchief Length
c.1880 (Made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Continuous purple silk piece-goods with repeated tie-dyed ('bandhana') pattern in red and white. The fabric is designed to be cut into individual bandanna handkerchief.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleBandanna handkerchief piece-goods (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Tie-dyed silk
Brief description
Length of tie-dyed silk bandanna handkerchiefs, Baharampur, West Bengal, c.1830-80
Physical description
Continuous purple silk piece-goods with repeated tie-dyed ('bandhana') pattern in red and white. The fabric is designed to be cut into individual bandanna handkerchief.
Dimensions
  • Length: 479cm
  • Width: 110cm
Gallery label
BENGAL HANDKERCHIEFS Traders exported handkerchiefs made in Bengal to Europe and North America. Printed silk choppas (from Hindi chhapna: 'to print') were hugely popular, as were tie-dyed silk bandannoes (from Hindi bandhana: 'to tie'), the origin of the modern bandanna handkerchief. Fine Bengali cottons were also used for handkerchiefs, sometimes with mottos or names woven into their borders. Length of bandannoe handkerchiefs Tie-dyed silk Berhampur, West Bengal, 1830-80 V&A: IS.678-1883 Choppa handkerchief Printed silk Kasimbazar, West Bengal, 1820-50 V&A: IS.17-2008 Personalised handkerchief Cotton with silk borders, woven with the name and titles of Colonel T.H. Hendley Santipur, West Bengal, 1898-1903 Given by Mrs G.M. Hendley V&A: IS.218-1992 (03/10/2015-10/01/2016)
Object history
Tie-dyed silk pieces were exported by the East India Company from Berhampur to Britain in the mid-18th century to become the 'bandanna' handkerchiefs and scarves.
Production
Berhampur is close to Murshidabad town.
Bibliographic references
  • Murphy, Veronica and Rosemary Crill, Tie-dyed Textiles of India, London: Victoria and Albert Museum 1991, pp.126-127. ISBN 0 944142 30 3
  • Das, N. and Llewellyn-Jones, R. (eds.). Murshidabad: Forgotten Capital of Bengal, ISBN 978-81-921106-9-1. Marg, Mumbai, 2013. ISBN 978-81-921106-9-1. p. 76, pl. 3
  • Tie-dyed textiles of India : tradition and trade / Veronica Murphy and Rosemary Crill. London: Victoria and Albert Museum :in association with Mapin Publishing, 1991 Number: 0944142303 pp.126-7, Fig, 53
  • Arts of Bengal : the heritage of Bangladesh and eastern India : an exhibition organized by the Whitechapel Art Gallery in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum : 9 November-30 December 1979, Whitechapel Art Gallery ..., 12 January-17 February 1980, Manchester City Art Gallery ... . [London]: Whitechapel Art Gallery, [1979] Number: 085488047X (pbk.) : p.68
Other number
IND.LOST.475 - Previous lost number
Collection
Accession number
IS.678-1883

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Record createdApril 8, 2005
Record URL
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