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Object Timeline

1925

  • Work on this object began.

1954

  • We acquired this object.

1975

  • Work on this object ended.

2003

2012

2015

2019

2024

  • You found it!

Textile (Japan)

This is a Textile. It is dated mid-20th century and we acquired it in 1954. Its medium is cotton and its technique is plain weave, indigo dyed, resist applied with stencil (katazome). It is a part of the Textiles department.


This length of cotton fabric was intended for constructing a light summer kimono called a yukata. It bears a repeated motif of hollyhock leaves and vines, rendered in two shades of rich indigo blue on a white ground. As indigo dye is especially well suited for use with absorbent cotton, traditional yukata feature a color palette of blue and white. Originally worn as an undergarment, the robes were later adopted as popular dress for the bathhouse. By the 19th century, they had moved from the bathhouse to the street, as it became accepted practice for yukata to be worn in public, especially at summer festivals.

It is credited Museum purchase from Au Panier Fleuri Fund.

  • Stencil, Ferns and Swirls
  • mulberry paper (kozo washi) treated with fermented persimmon tannin....
  • Gift of Helen Snyder.
  • 1976-103-61

Its dimensions are

H x W: 1128 x 36 cm (37 ft. 1/16 in. x 14 3/16 in.)

It is inscribed

Paper label with "Katazome- Karakusa"

Cite this object as

Textile (Japan); cotton; H x W: 1128 x 36 cm (37 ft. 1/16 in. x 14 3/16 in.); Museum purchase from Au Panier Fleuri Fund; 1954-175-4

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Katagami.

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<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18400685/ |title=Textile (Japan) |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=19 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>