Object Details
- Label Text
- Factory print cloth may be manufactured in Europe or Asia for the African market or be made in an African factory and sold anywhere. Generally identified with bright colors and bold designs, it assumes a local name and symbolic meaning. One reason for success of factory printed cloth is the widespread practice of dressing alike for special events ~ weddings, funerals, anniversaries and especially for political events. Another is the quantity of cloth needed to make an outfit. Factory printed cloth is typically sold in 6 yard lots to women for a skirt and top, plus a shawl or head tie. It may be kept uncut as stored wealth.
- The 1920s -30s saw the introduction of Fancy cloth, large plain blocks of color with photographic imagery. Popular during colonial times, this technique became particularly important with independence.
- Description
- Factory printed cloth with a repeating pattern featuring a large rectangle with a central black and white portrait of Sékou Touré surrounded by dark and light pink flowers and green leaves. It is framed with a black and yellow striped border. The background is off-white. Repeat is 50.1 cm (19 11/16 in.).
- Provenance
- Lilburn Theurer Senn, Clemson, South Carolina, acquired in Sierra Leone, 1958 to 2002
- Exhibition History
- "Festival of African American Literature and the Arts, " the Brooks Center, Clemson University, South Carolina, 9/17- 9/21/2001
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Date
- Mid 20th century
- Credit Line
- Gift of Donald A. Theuer and Lilburne Theuer Senn
- Medium
- Cotton, dye
- Dimensions
- H x W: 91.8 x 94 cm (36 1/8 x 37 in.)
- Type
- Textile and Fiber Arts
