Dress, dress of pieces (Thob abu qutbeh), silk, maker unknown, Jerusalem area, Palestine, c.1940.

Full length flared dress called 'thob abu qutbeh' or 'dress of pieces'; thob meaning 'dress' and abu qutbeh literally 'father of stitches', after the fine stitching used to join the panel pieces together. It has long pointed sleeves and round neck line with short centre front opening. The fabric of the dress consists of narrow panels of dark red and olive green Syrian silk taffeta called 'heremzi', seamed decoratively by hand with 'menajel' stitch in different coloured thread; the sleeves are similarly constructed but with a panel of yellow silk at the shoulders. The dress has a back yoke of striped Syrian 'atlas' satin in red, yellow and black, and an embroidered chest panel (qabbeh) slit at the top to form the front opening, which closes with tasselled silk ties, one tassel is purple and the other blue. The embroidery on the qabbeh is in traditional Bethlehem style couching, with double 'habkeh' stitch and 'tishrimeh' zigzag applique. The front and back yokes are lined with red cotton.

This style of this silk trousseau wedding dress was popular in the Jerusalem area, particularly in the wealthy nearby village of Lifta. A simlar style was also made in Hebron, in immitation of Lifta. Red and green panels always alternate in the body of the dress, with a varying number of side panels and with yellow panels at the shoulder of the sleeves. The embroidered chest panel or qabbeh is in the characteristic Bethlehem style.

The silk fabric used to make the dress was woven in Syria. Called heremzi, this narrow fabric is only 18-22 cm wide and was made in red, green, yellow, orange, and occasionally purple. The striped satin of the back yoke is called atlas and is also Syrian. The dress is hand sewn throughout, with decorative stitching along all the seams.

The average quality of the embroidery on this dress suggests a date towards the end of the British Mandate period in Palestine (1918-1948). It was during this stable and prosperous period that the majority of extant women's special occasion dresses were made. Dresses of striped silk panels, like this example, are also known to have been made in the Jerusalem and Hebron regions during the 19th century.

This is a special occasion trousseau dress of the 1940s, originally made for wearing at the various ceremonies which accompanied Palestinian weddings. The donor often wore it with beads to 'hippy style' parties in the 70s.
The donor bought this dress in Jerusalem in 1971. Its previous owner(s) are unknown.

Gift of Diana Noel 1995

No marks

95/324/1

1350 mm