Kimono thumbnail 1
Kimono thumbnail 2
On loan

  • On short term loan out for exhibition

Kimono

1920-1940 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown (made)
Place of origin
Japan (made)

The early twentieth century saw the introduction of new textile techniques in Japan which speeded up traditional resist-dyeing methods. Chemical dyes mixed with rice-paste were applied through stencils to the warp (longitudinal) and/or weft (horizontal) threads prior to weaving. Stencil-dyeing both warp and weft allowed for the creation of more complex images such as the abstract motifs on this garment. Their fast, flowing forms seem to echo the rhythms of the busy, modern city.

Object details

Categories
Clothing
Textiles
Fashion
Object type
Kimono
Materials and techniques
Machine-spun plain weave pongee silk (meisen) with stencil-dyed warps and wefts (heiyô-gasuri)
Silk (Textile)
Resist Dyeing
Brief description
Kimono, machine-spun plain weave pongee silk (meisen) with stencil dyed warps and wefts, Japan, 1920-40
Physical description
Informal kimono of machine-spun plain weave pongee silk (meisen) with stencil-dyed warp and weft threads (heiyō-gasuri). Abstract design of swirling ribbons in blue, red, yellow and black on a white ground
Dimensions
  • Length: 150.5cm
  • Width: 127cm
Gallery label
(04/11/2015)
Kimono for a woman
1930–40

Many early 20th-century kimono were made from meisen, a thick silk fabric that was both long-lasting and relatively inexpensive. Patterned with chemical dyes applied through stencils on to the threads before weaving, meisen became the favoured fabric for informal kimono. Garments were decorated with striking patterns that provided an exuberant visual statement for the stylish, urban woman.

Probably Gunma prefecture
Meisen silk with stencil-printed warp and weft threads (heiyō-gasuri)
Museum no. FE.28-2014
Summary
The early twentieth century saw the introduction of new textile techniques in Japan which speeded up traditional resist-dyeing methods. Chemical dyes mixed with rice-paste were applied through stencils to the warp (longitudinal) and/or weft (horizontal) threads prior to weaving. Stencil-dyeing both warp and weft allowed for the creation of more complex images such as the abstract motifs on this garment. Their fast, flowing forms seem to echo the rhythms of the busy, modern city.
Bibliographic reference
Miller, Lesley Ellis, and Ana Cabrera Lafuente, with Claire Allen-Johnstone, eds. Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2021. ISBN 978-0-500-48065-6. This object features in the publication Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion (2021)
Collection
East Asia Collection
Accession number
FE.28-2014

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Record createdMarch 6, 2014
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1285090/kimono-unknown/
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