Blouse

Physical description

Sleeveless long indigo coloured blouse. The lower half of the garment from below the armpits is covered with bands of seed of coix lacryma (Job's Tears) and a single band of red cloth rests on the hips. Neckline and armholes are highlighted with red cloth and Job's Tears.

Made by sewing together two lengths of cloth , to form a central seam and then folding the fabric in half (the fold forming the shoulders). Holes are left in the upper corners for the arms and another opening left in the centre seam for the neck.

Place of Origin

Burma (made)

Date

late 19th century (made)

Materials and Techniques

Plain weave cotton, indigo-dyed, embroidered with Job's tears seeds and thread

Dimensions

Length: 76.2 cm shoulder to hem, Width: 61 cm

Object history note

1882 Register describes this as a jacket and that it is decorated with rows of a kind of grass seeds called "Job's tears" (coix lacryma), obtained in the Kassia Hills, Aracan (former name of Rakhine State of Burma).
Received 2 January 1882

Descriptive line

A long blouse of a woman of the Sgaw, a sub-tribe of the Karen. Indigo blue, plain weave, heavily decorated with bands of Job's Tears and red cloth. late 19th century.

Production Note

Sandra Dudley, Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford. 1999 attributes this blouse to a woman of the Sgaw a sub-tribe of the Karen who live mainly in the south and south east of Burma.
For further examples see IND.LOST.472:1; 6550 (IS); 05436 (IS); and Pitt Rivers ACC;1957.1.23: BOOK NO: XVI 157

Materials

Cotton; Thread; Job's tears

Techniques

Embroidering; Plain weave; Stitching; Dyeing

Collection code

SSEA