Name/Title
Embroidered Pillow (early 20th Century)Entry/Object ID
2022.119Description
Embroidery, or "tatreez", was typically used to ornament dresses and garments -- a highly prized object in a Palestinian woman's life once completed. When a dress is no longer wearable, it is culturally frowned upon to discard the embroidery. Instead, Palestinian women reused and recycled the embroidery onto pillows, tablecloths and various household items.
It is unclear the origination of this particular embroidery, however it appears to have been originally produced in the early 20th century, perhaps in the Gaza region due to the x-configuration of motifs. What is certain is that It become a pillow by 1972, when it was purchased by an American tourist in Jerusalem.Made/Created
Date made
1972Time Period
20th Century
