Towel c. 19th century

Curator: This textile, titled "Towel," dates back to the 19th century and is currently held at The Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: It gives me a feeling of understated elegance. Like a secret whispered on linen. It’s… calming. The gentle off-white is only broken up by these beautifully delicate ornamental borders. Curator: It’s precisely that balance between functionality and decoration that I find compelling. Towels, historically, are often imbued with domestic meaning, typically connected to women's work, rituals of cleanliness, and societal notions around the home. When considering that the creator is unknown, this object turns into a symbol of the multitudes of often nameless artists of domestic life, usually excluded from what is thought of as fine arts. Editor: The embroidery is quite subtle, actually. It reminds me of springtime – little green triangles alternate with pink and blue floral motifs, like stylized budding trees and small spring flowers. I wonder what it would have felt like to the touch? Soft or slightly rougher because of the weave and embroidery? Curator: The mixed-media construction certainly plays a significant role. Fibre art such as weaving was vital not only for practical purposes, it has always held significance in conveying cultural and artistic identity. Think of the interwoven patterns of power dynamics displayed through, for instance, traditional tapestries of the medieval period, but also Indigenous art forms of many diasporas of our globalized world. The geometric design speaks volumes regarding artistic and social convention during the 19th century. Editor: Yes, but beyond those considerations it has an almost timeless quality to it. Imagine drying your hands or face on this—or being swaddled as a child within a fabric very much like this! Even with such restrained colours and design. The care put into each stitch. Curator: I concur that there is an echo, a reminder that something beautiful and meaningful was consciously created by human hands, a perspective often forgotten today within the context of globalized industrial fabrication. Editor: Exactly. So, next time you dry your hands, give pause, won't you, to remember the touch and art infused into the fabrics we so frequently use in the everyday!