Blouse, embroidered linen, Spain; Andalusia, 1800s

Woman's blouse of coarse linen embroidered with silk. It has a square neck and full sleeves. The latter is made from straight, selvedge widths of material, gathered over the shoulder and, tightly, into narrow wrist bands. The front and back are also made from straight selvedge widths of material, gathered tightly onto a narrow, square yolk. They both have been lengthened with additional pieces of coarse linen cloth. Large, square gussets are inset, diamond wise, under the arms.

The neck yolk and the wrist bands are embroidered with red silk in double-running and pulled fabric stitches. The design shows an 'Assisi' pattern of cattle, birds and stylised plants. The outer edge is decorated with a green silk fringed braid. The gathers of the front and back panels are smocked with green silk in a repeating pattern of stylised leaves and flowers. The shoulder and cuff gathers are more simply smocked with green silk in a zig zag line. The seams are all decorated with green silk in closed buttonhole stitch. The tops of the sleeves are decorated with a patterned band, from which sprigs of flowers extend on either side. They are of green and red silk in stem, satin, back, whipped running and heavy chain stitches. The front neck opening is secured by a plaited cord of red, green and cream silk threaded through four eyelet holes. The cuffs are edged with a coarse, scalloped bobbin lace, patterned with vermicular lines.

Given by Miss D. M. E. Carr

Given the popularity of bull fighting in Spain, it is fitting that bulls should be embroidered around the square neck of this blouse. The neck opening has been finished with a woven upholstery braid; two holes have been punched along either side of it and a plaited cord has been threaded through for fastening the front.

The linen sleeve and the linen that forms the main part of the blouse have been gathered and decorated with embroidered bands and then attached to the edges of the embroidered neck panel. The gathers on the sleeve are not at the top of the arm but run across the shoulder at the point where the collarbone joins the shoulder blade. This, together with the many gathers running from above the breasts would have created a rounded, inflated appearance, made more obvious by the contrast of the neat, flat embroidered band around the neck.

T.41-1973