Dress thumbnail 1
Dress thumbnail 2
Not on display

Dress

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

The three pairs of tassels on the front of this dress may or may not be intended as actual fastenings. A separate single pair of ties at the waist keeps it closed at that point, and a rectangular panel behind the tassels ensures that modesty is maintained whether or not they are tied. The tassels are carefully made of pieces of cotton cloth rolled into tubes and finished with embroidered red silk ends.

White clothing is quite unusual in north-west Pakistan, where this dress comes from. Dark blue or black cotton is more frequently used for dresses and shirts, whether plain or embroidered.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Plain woven cotton embroidered with silk
Brief description
Costume, white cotton silk, embroidered, Panjab; Textile
Production
Probably from Dera Ismail Khan region, North-West Frontier Province
Summary
The three pairs of tassels on the front of this dress may or may not be intended as actual fastenings. A separate single pair of ties at the waist keeps it closed at that point, and a rectangular panel behind the tassels ensures that modesty is maintained whether or not they are tied. The tassels are carefully made of pieces of cotton cloth rolled into tubes and finished with embroidered red silk ends.

White clothing is quite unusual in north-west Pakistan, where this dress comes from. Dark blue or black cotton is more frequently used for dresses and shirts, whether plain or embroidered.
Bibliographic reference
Dress in detail from around the world / Rosemary Crill, Jennifer Wearden and Verity Wilson ; with contributions from Anna Jackson and Charlotte Horlyck ; photographs by Richard Davis, drawings by Leonie Davis. London: V&A Publications, 2002 Number: 1851773770 (hbk), 1851773789 (pbk) pp.40-41
Collection
Accession number
05488(IS)

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Record createdJune 15, 2009
Record URL
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