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1940.7.0363

Fringe apron made of hide strips, partially dyed purple, worn by a girl [RTS 15/9/2005].

1940.7.0363

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Collection type
Object
Description
Fringe apron made of hide strips, partially dyed purple, worn by a girl [RTS 15/9/2005].
Long description
Fringe apron consisting of a narrow strip of brown leather across the top, the ends of which are used to secure the garment around the waist (inside Pantone 4635C, exterior Pantone 411C). The central part of this has been used to attach a thick body, composed of a series of narrow brown leather strips (Pantone 411C), grouped into small bundles that have been hung over the leather band, adjacent to one another, and then secured beneath this band with 2 rows of oblique dark brown stitches (Pantone Black 7C), then a further 2 rows of lighter brown stitches. The long ends of the bundles hang down loosely beyond this point as a thick fringe, with the occasional knotted section. At one end of the fringed body, the darker brown thongs have been plaited together with some strips from the edge of the fringe and loosely tied off at the bottom. Parts of the body have been dyed a strong purple colour (Pantone 5125C). The apron is complete, and has a weight of 171.4 grams. The belt section is 1890 mm long, 15 to 20 mm wide and 1.3 mm thick; the fringed body is 470 mm wide with a drop of 240 mm; each constituent strip has a width of 2 mm [RTS 15/9/2005].
Cultural groups
Bari (Nilotic)
Shilluk
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1940
Date collected
By 1940
Acquisition information
Loaned: 1940
Materials and processes
Material Animal Leather Skin, Process Knotted, Process Plaited, Process Dyed
Dimensions
Width: max 263 mm, Length: max 555 mm, Depth: max 36 mm, Weight 171.4 g
Object numbers
Accession number: 1940.7.0363
Research and responses

For similar fringe aprons, see 1903.16.111 (Shilluk), 1940.7.010 and 1934.8.45 (Bari), and 1940.7.095 (Imatong tribe). A Bari or Shilluk origin is also possible for this piece, but the purple colouring is not usual [RTS 15/9/2005].

Search terms: Clothing, Apron, Groin-cover