Not currently on display at the V&A

Man's Shirt

ca. 1945 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Bright red dyed tunic-type sleeveless cotton shirt (hse) decorated with spaced broad and narrow vertical stripes of red and white. Long front and side fringes, 32 cm in length, from waist to hem that have been formed with the threads of the red weft. The hemline finishes in a broad band, 31.5 cm in length, of supplementary red weaving.

Made by sewing together two lengths of cloth to form a central seam and then folding the fabric in half and stitching the sides. The holes are left in the upper corners for the arms. Another opening is left in the centre seam for the head. Plain and supplementary weaving.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Woven cotton and dyed
Brief description
Man's sleeveless cotton shirt (hse) of plain and supplementary weave, Karen State, Burma, ca. 1945
Physical description
Bright red dyed tunic-type sleeveless cotton shirt (hse) decorated with spaced broad and narrow vertical stripes of red and white. Long front and side fringes, 32 cm in length, from waist to hem that have been formed with the threads of the red weft. The hemline finishes in a broad band, 31.5 cm in length, of supplementary red weaving.

Made by sewing together two lengths of cloth to form a central seam and then folding the fabric in half and stitching the sides. The holes are left in the upper corners for the arms. Another opening is left in the centre seam for the head. Plain and supplementary weaving.
Dimensions
  • Length: 85cm
  • Width: 80cm
Credit line
Given by Mr. L. A. Shaw
Object history
See 05538 (IS) (Karen) for a similar effect. Worn by a man of one of the Karen groups of hill people of Karen State, Burma. Of plain and supplementary weave and distinctive long red tassels. ca. 1945.

In a letter to Dr. Deborah Swallow the donor gives a brief history of the object and states "In 1945, at the end of hostilities, I was in Thaton [southern Burma] where I made friends with a Karen family. When I left Thaton I was given a present of a Karen man's smock.........I believe it was made in the Papun area [of Karen State], which I visited in 1945".
Bibliographic reference
Sylvia Fraser-Lu; S.E. Asian Textiles"; 1988; p. 95 P. & E. Lewis "The Golden Triangle"; p. 79 Burmese Tribal Costumes Exhibition, British Museum, Gallery 33b
Collection
Accession number
IS.15-1987

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Record createdMarch 16, 2004
Record URL
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