Object Details
- Label Text
- The blankets with figures evolved from the bright cotton rectangular motif blankets woven for modern beds in the mid-20th century. The uniformed soldiers relate to the 1968 military coup. The scantily clad ladies are not documented but perhaps relate to the blankets used as wedding gifts.
- Description
- 18-strip cotton blanket with figures of 3 soldiers in green uniforms, 2 women in bikinis, shoes and purses, and 1 man in black garb. Rectangular bars of color probably refer to the flag.
- Provenance
- Ambassador Arthur Lewis, Washington D.C., -- to 2011
- Exhibition History
- Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue - From the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr., National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, November 7, 2014-January 24, 2016 (installed June 30, 2015)
- Published References
- Kreamer, Christine Mullen and Adrienne L. Childs (eds). 2014. Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue from the Collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Camille O. and William H. Cosby, Jr. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, pp. 184-185, pl. 92.
- 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 Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks.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
- Maker
- Oumar Bocoum, born Mali
- Date
- Late 20th century
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Ambassador Arthur and Doctor Frances Lewis Collection
- Medium
- Cotton, dye
- Dimensions
- H x W: 158 x 348 cm (62 3/16 x 137 in.)
- Strip (18): 9 cm (3 9/16 in.)
- Type
- Textile and Fiber Arts
