Owned by
Old Slave Mart Museum, American, founded 1937
Date
1828-1850
Medium
cotton
Dimensions
H x W: 16 1/4 × 47 1/2 in. (41.3 × 120.7 cm)
Description
A piece of fabric with open whitework embroidery in a paisley design.
The embroidery is situated along the longest edge of the fabric fragment and features open holes in the fabric overcast with white embroidery thread. The holes are arranged in a series of concentric curved feather shapes. The first feather is oriented vertically, with the rest oriented horizontally and getting progressively smaller along the fabric edge. The larger shapes have leaf-shaped designs in the center and the smaller shapes have flowers in the center. The fabric edge next to the paisley design also features open whitework, with a scalloped cut and overcast edge along a line of open circular holes, also overcast in white thread.
Some of the holes at the bottom of the cloth are stretched and torn. There are a few holes in other areas of the cloth and there are some small pieces torn off on the edges. Areas of the cloth are stained and discolored from age.
Place made
Charleston County, United States, North and Central America
Place collected
Charleston, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Type
textiles
whitework
Topic
Craftsmanship
Domestic life
Skilled labor
Slavery
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2017.108.17.5
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd528ac3d97-5316-42a6-95b1-5f3782128c36

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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