Apron Panel
ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-aprons
Culture
Yi
Date20th Century
Made AtSichuan Province, China, Asia
Made AtYunnan Province, China, Asia
MediumCotton, silk and possibly metallic plastic thread
Dimensions13 3/4 × 116 1/4 in. (34.9 × 295.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Long Shung and Anne Shih
Object number2016.13.37
DescriptionMiao girls learn to make textiles as early as six years old. By the time a girl reaches the marriageable age of sixteen she will possess the skills to make clothing and textiles needed for herself and her family throughout life. With guidance from older sisters, mothers and grandmothers, numerous complex embellishing embroidery and dyeing techniques are learned as are the foundations for producing textiles. These basics include picking and preparing cottons, raising silk worms and extracting their silk, producing yarns, dyeing fabrics and various special treatments to create textured, shiny and stiffened fabrics. As they have become available, many Miao have adopted the use of commercial fabrics, silks, dyes, plastic sequins and other embellishments, using them in combination with traditional techniques. In this specific panel, there appears to be printed ribbon sewn into the ensemble, showing how in the latter part of the 20th century, the Miao people had more access to ready-made materials. This is a blend of the old and new, since the Miao would repurpose fabric throughout the generations.On View
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