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Jumlo (woman's dress)
This dress is made of handwoven black cotton fabric that has been embroidered with silk threads and decorated with beads, buttons and coins. At the time it was made, the dress would have been worn with a pair of pants with embroidered cuffs and a headdress in the form of a hood. The dress, pants and headdress would have been worn by the woman who made it. Very little is known about these dresses as they are rarely sold (only if the family needs money) and there are no known photographs of women wearing them. Hundreds of godets, or insets of cloth, give fullness to the skirt. Some of these dresses may have as many as 600 godets in their skirts. The simply-cut bodice and sleeves are adorned with embroidery in a cross stitch and a darning stitch. Buttons, beads and coins were sewn on for additional adornment as well as to make a tinkling sound as the wearer moved, which served to scare away evil spirits. Among the coins on this dress are two Indian coins dating from 1931 and 1939; the rest of the coins are from Pakistan, dating from 1948 to 1951. The Textile Museum 2004.10.1
Each month we will highlight a different textile from the Museum's collection. |
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