Baby carrier

Woven Textile

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BLUE: The TATTER Textile Library

Name/Title

Baby carrier

Entry/Object ID

2024.9.21

Description

Miao batik baby carrier, comprised of two panels sewn together to create one larger panel. Designs are geometric in nature, but feature natural, symmetrical forms as well.

Textile Type

Batik

Use

Corners would be fastened together to carry the baby.

Context

Baby carriers (known as beishan (背扇) or beidai (背带)) are created by young Miao women prior to their marriage. They are a way to show their skills as a future mother and wife, and to express their love for their unborn children. Symbols like birds, fish, and butterflies are intended to keep the children wrapped in the carriers safe and happy.

Category

Cloth

Acquisition

Accession

2024.9

Acquisition Method

Purchase

Made/Created

Place

Region

Southern China

Continent

Asia

Notes

Guizhou or Hunan Province

Ethnography

Culture/Tribe

Miao People

Lexicon

Getty AAT

Concept

baby carriers, batik

Dimensions

Height

24-1/4 in

Length

20-1/2 in

Material

Cotton, Indigo Dye, Beeswax

Color

Indigo

Location

Box

Box 72

Cabinet

Object Cabinet

Room

Studio

Research Notes

Research Type

Collections Manager

Person

Ida-Rose Chabon

Date

Jan 29, 2025

Notes

https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/a-miao-baby-carrier-from-china/

Research Type

Collections Manager

Person

Ida-Rose Chabon

Date

Jan 29, 2025

Notes

https://www.threadsofmeaning.org/smallbabycarriers-moonflowers