Not currently on display at the V&A

Trouser Panel

1840-1860 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Plain weave cotton embroidered with silk in straight stitches.
This is part of an unfinished piece. One trouser panel has been cut into four pieces. The original length runs from one selvedge to the other and was therefore cut across the width of the cotton fabric. The correct order of the four pieces from the top is: 849C-1875, 849A-1875, 849-1875, 849B-1875. This illustrates how such pieces were laid out and worked: there is no underdrawing and the diagonal lines, which are worked first, are not evenly spaced. One colour is worked first, and the second is added. Then the brackets are worked - again, these are not evenly spaced. Then the outlines of the flowers are worked.

The top has been cut through the embroidery. There is a border along the bottom composed of a wider incomplete pattern within 2 narrower borders with an indistinct pattern. There is a narrow line of green stitching down either side.
There is a series of chevron stripes running from lower right to upper left. These have been worked in pink and green silk.
There are two sizes of stripes:
[1] narrow stripes: two small diagonal lozenges form a pair of leaves in orange and light green alternating with pink and light green. There is a light green bracket between the pairs.
[2] wider stripe: a larger light green bracket separates a pink pansy-like flower from an orange carnation.

Threads: light green, pink, orange silk; 2S


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
cotton yarn, silk thread, weaving, embroidering
Brief description
F, embroidered, 1800-1849, Persian
Physical description
Plain weave cotton embroidered with silk in straight stitches.
This is part of an unfinished piece. One trouser panel has been cut into four pieces. The original length runs from one selvedge to the other and was therefore cut across the width of the cotton fabric. The correct order of the four pieces from the top is: 849C-1875, 849A-1875, 849-1875, 849B-1875. This illustrates how such pieces were laid out and worked: there is no underdrawing and the diagonal lines, which are worked first, are not evenly spaced. One colour is worked first, and the second is added. Then the brackets are worked - again, these are not evenly spaced. Then the outlines of the flowers are worked.

The top has been cut through the embroidery. There is a border along the bottom composed of a wider incomplete pattern within 2 narrower borders with an indistinct pattern. There is a narrow line of green stitching down either side.
There is a series of chevron stripes running from lower right to upper left. These have been worked in pink and green silk.
There are two sizes of stripes:
[1] narrow stripes: two small diagonal lozenges form a pair of leaves in orange and light green alternating with pink and light green. There is a light green bracket between the pairs.
[2] wider stripe: a larger light green bracket separates a pink pansy-like flower from an orange carnation.

Threads: light green, pink, orange silk; 2S
Dimensions
  • Length: 16cm
  • Width: 46cm
Marks and inscriptions
(paper label sewn on the back printed in red and black with 'rec.d April 7 1877 on loan from The Science & Art Department' and with '2/1086' written in black ink)
Collection
Accession number
849B-1876

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Record createdJune 4, 2008
Record URL
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