Publication Date
1920
Publication Place
Palestine (Made) Bethlehem (made) -
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
ME.9-2026
Record ID
ME.9-2026
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
1920
Notes
This is a matching sleeveless dress and jacket from Palestine, likely dating to the 1920s. It is unusual in that it combines European style in its cut and design with tatreez (embroidery) in the Palestinian tradition. Palestinian women of the urban middle and upper classes rarely wore traditional embroidered dress in this period, as this was a rural village tradition. Instead, urban Palestinian women favoured Ottoman or European fashion of the time, including this style of drop-waist shift dress and loose jacket. The ensemble reflects a hybridity in design in Palestinian dress of the early twentieth century. We know from other examples - such as a similar ensemble (with cross-stitch, not couching) in the collection of Tiraz: Widad Kawar Home for Arab Dress in Amman, which belonged to Basma Kawar and was bought in Nazareth in 1921 - that from 1920 onwards (possibly earlier), embroidered clothing in French or British style was made and sold in boutiques and embroidery centres in Palestine to local women and foreign visitors. Such garments catered to those who sought European fashion in style and were interested in local, Palestinian design and embroidery traditions. The presence of tahriri (couching) embroidery on these garments is typical of the threadwork of Bethlehem, the region of Palestine with the greatest number of âcottage industryâ embroiderers working for pay in the early twentieth century. We can assume the ensemble was produced in Bethlehem, which was also an important stop on the 'Holy Land' tourist trail popular amongst European and British visitors at this time. The ensemble was in the possession of an Irish family for many decades before being gifted to the V&A. The donor's grandfather was an Archdeacon in the Church of Ireland and while it is not known how he or his wife came into possession of these, it is possible they were bought in Palestine and presented to the couple as a gift from a visitor. The garments have some small holes and signs of wear, but it is hard to know whether these were the result of general degradation over time or signs that the garments were worn.
Malzemeler ve teknikler
FTIR analysis was undertaken on sample fibres from the dress and the jacket. Rayon-viscose was found in both cases. These results were consistent with those obtained by textile conservators via microscopic analyses. The embroidered thread is silk and the tacking thread is cotton. Rayon Viscose Cotton Thread Silk Thread Embroidery Couching
Fiziksel açıklama
This is a shift dress and jacket, each embroidered in Palestinian style, using the tahriri , couching, technique.
