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This
exhibition was the outcome of field research conducted by
Charlotte Jirousek, Curator of the Cornell Costume and Textile
Collection. It is an examination of the rich variety of handmade
textiles that comprised Turkish traditional dress.
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In the nineteenth century urban Turkish dress retained
its traditional character. The man's costume on the
left was acquired by Charles Langdon c. 1869 in Alexandria
Egypt, where he had his photograph taken with a friend
(possibly Samuel Clemens) and his interpreter. (Click
on image to see the photograph.) The style is Ottoman
Turkish, not Arab, and was the dress of government throughout
the Ottoman Empire. On the right is lady's ensemble
typical of the early nineteenth century, showing the
rich combinations of textures and materials used. (Click
on image to see detail.) |
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Vividly colored striped textiles are the hallmark of
traditional Turkish dress, once worn by almost everyone,
at least on special occasions. Silk warps provided the
color, held together by a cotton weft that was not visible
on the surface. The pre-eminent color scheme involved
red and yellow, but also many other colors. The complex
satin weaves (kutnu) might be done in any one of hundreds
of patterns. The simpler plain weave of alaca could
have two colors or up to eight. In Gaziantep there are
still weavers and dyers active who are producing this
cloth, which can be viewed as the Turkish equivalent
of Scottish tartan, a universal and essential textile
for traditional dress. (To see enlargements of the exhibit
photographs and garments, click on the image links).
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These costumes were acquired by the donors in 1914 when
they were working with a mission aid group in Southeastern
Turkey. They are everyday clothing of Kurdish villagers,
much used and patched. Most of the fabrics involved
are handwoven, and some appear to be woven from hand
spun cotton and wool. Everyday clothing of ordinary
people from this part of the world is extremely rare,
and invaluable for the study of traditional textiles
and dress in this region. |
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This costume is composed entirely of handwoven fabrics.
The typically striped outer coat is similar to the silk
striped fabrics seen in a case display shown above,
but this coat is woven of handspun wool, dyed with locally
available madder dye, and trimmed with hand made black
wool lace edging. This coat probably was worn by the
woman who made it; she is believed to have been from
Eastern Anatolia, probably of nomad origin.
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