Man's cloth 19th-20th century

This ‘Man’s cloth’ was woven with cotton by an Ewe artist in Ghana, West Africa. Cloths like this have broad significance in Ghanaian culture, and are deeply embedded in the social fabric of the region. This example is woven in a grid pattern, and it’s the regularity of these repeating rectangles that defines the visual character of the cloth. Each block contains small symbolic motifs. In Ewe culture, these are used to communicate proverbs and philosophical ideas. The cloth would have been worn by men for ceremonial occasions, and the patterns chosen would have expressed their status and identity. The specific patterns, the colors used, and the quality of the weaving could all be read as indicators of social standing. Textiles like this are significant cultural objects, and historians need to look beyond the visual qualities of the art, by researching the social context, in order to fully interpret its meaning.