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View at the museum ↗Adinkra Wrapper
AsanteEarly 20th century (after 1904)
- Attribution
- Asante Ghana Coastal West Africa
- Medium
- 6 panels joined of factory-produced cotton, plain weave self-patterned by warp and weft floats; embroidered with silk floss and viscose rayon threads in chain stitches
- Physical dimensions
- 335.3 × 289.6 cm (132 × 114 in.)
- Credit line
- African and Amerindian Art Purchase Fund; African and Amerindian Curator's Discretionary Fund
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Source rights statement: Public-domain image eligibility not established by this export
View the museum record ↗From the museum
Although printed textiles proliferate in contemporary Ghanaian fashion, adinkra were the first and only preindustrial printed textile made in West Africa. This Adinkra Wrapper features a variety of motifs that highlight the wearer’s power and status, including symbols that represent royal hairstyles and dwellings. The garment’s white ground indicates that it was made to be worn for celebratory occasions. Examples of the types of stamps used to print adinkra are also in our collection.
Description: Art Institute of Chicago · CC BY 4.0