Al Khalil Dress (Thobe) Skirt Panels (19th Century)

This object is featured on the right, rolled on an archival tube.

This object is featured on the right, rolled on an archival tube.

Name/Title

Al Khalil Dress (Thobe) Skirt Panels (19th Century)

Entry/Object ID

2024.10.35

Tags

On View, 2024

Description

Traditionally, tatreez was used to ornament dresses and garments -- a highly prized possession in a Palestinian woman's life once completed. When a dress was no longer wearable, however, it was frowned upon to discard the embroidery. Instead, Palestinian women reused and recycled the embroidery onto pillows, tablecloths and various household items. This skirt panel was cut from a thobe perhaps to make into a table runner. It appears to have been originally produced in the 19th century for an al-Khalil dress and the dress, worn to tatters. In the 1970s, embroidered household items and fragments were sold and purchased by American tourists in Jerusalem.

Made/Created

Artist

Maker Once Known

Time Period

19th Century

Place

City

Palestine (Historic) - Hebron

Historical Region

Palestine (Historic)

Continent

Asia