Blouse Item Number: 1201/16 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Woman or girl’s multicoloured, short-sleeved, blouse front. Dense, bold geometric motifs, embroidered in silk and cotton thread, cover almost the entire surface of the garment, and in most areas completely hide the ground textile, which is made of dark red cotton. The shoulder area is defined by large floral designs; below the armholes the motifs form an apron effect, with a wide border at the hemline and along the side edges. Mirrorwork, white rickrack and red beaded pompoms are incorporated into the design overall. The centre front neckline slit is decorated with white buttons, triangular turquoise tabs and tie-cords. Tie-cords are also located at the back of the neck and down the centre back opening, which extends from neck to hem. At the back of the shoulders, plain panels of dark red cotton textile are attached. Sleeves are extensions of the shoulder pieces. Sleeve edges and the hem are trimmed with beads, tassels, plastic disks and shells. A label made of off-white cotton textile, printed with a rubber stamp, is attached at the neck edge at the back with a loose running stitch.

History Of Use

Blouses of this style consist of a bodice front that hangs freely from the shoulders, leaving the back mostly bare. They are usually worn with a long skirt (plain, embroidered or printed) or baggy trousers (shalwar) and with a shawl worn draped over the head and covering the back. They are worn for festive occasions and for everyday.

Specific Techniques

Many different embroidery stitches, including buttonhole stitch; double buttonhole stitch; cretan stitch; couching; satin stitch.

Narrative

This blouse was purchased for Terlingua, a retail shop in Calgary, from an agent or dealer in Kabul, Afghanistan, and exported to Canada from there. It was offered for retail sale at Terlingua previous to its acquisition by the Museum of Anthropology, after the shop went out of business.