{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1639957"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1639957/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2021NA0787/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2021NA0787/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2021NA0787","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O1639957/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1639957","accessionNumber":"CIRC.309-1964","objectType":"Textile","titles":[{"title":"Àdìrẹ cloth","type":""}],"summaryDescription":"Àdìrẹ is an indigo-dyed cloth traditionally produced by Yoruba women in south-western Nigeria. A range of resist-dye techniques are used to create àdìrẹ   patterns, sometimes incorporating more than one technique in a single cloth. The ground-cloth of cotton is folded, stitched, tied or otherwise worked-upon in   preparation for dyeing; these areas resist the dye, creating the cloth’s distinctive blue and white patterns. The precise origins of àdìrẹ are unknown, though   indigo-dyeing has been in evidence across West Africa for centuries. Àdìrẹ has an enduring presence in the region, becoming a popular, everyday cloth, with   many women dyeing àdìrẹ of their own design within the home. Once dyed, àdìrẹ cloth can be wrapped or stitched to create garments, such as a woman’s ìró  (wrapped skirt). From the 20th century onwards, factory-woven cloth began to be used; this cloth accepted the dye more easily, creating a finer clarity of   design. Whist factories are now able to mass-produce imitation àdìrẹ, the popularity of the traditional hand-worked cloth remains, made by local artisans in  historic dyeing centres such as Ibadan.\r\n\r\nÀdìrẹ is subcategorised according to the method of resist-dyeing used. This is an example of what would be àdìrẹ alábẹ́rẹ́, which relies upon stitching as the means of resist-dyeing. This is achieved by folding and stitching down the cloth, or by stitching designs directly onto it and removing the thread after dyeing. This cloth is only partially completed, demonstrating one stage in the process of creating àdìrẹ. The stitching step has been completed, however the cloth is yet to be dyed. ","physicalDescription":"Piece of white cotton textile tied and sewn ready to be dyed in the  tie-dye technique","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"cotton (textile)","id":"AAT14067"}],"techniques":[{"text":"tie-dyeing","id":"AAT53057"},{"text":"sewing","id":"AAT257459"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"cotton","categories":[{"text":"Africa","id":"THES49019"},{"text":"Textiles","id":"THES48885"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&F","id":"THES48601"},"images":["2021NA0787"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"010","id":"THES306840"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"textile","id":"AAT14063"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"West Africa","id":"THES270354"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"c.1963","earliest":"1958-01-01","latest":"1967-12-31"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Bequeathed by Miss Mary Kirby","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"This cloth hails from the Miss Mary Kirby bequest, a significant donation of global textiles acquired by the museum in 1964. Of the 70  textiles included in the acquisition, 28 were produced or sold in West Africa. Miss Kirby was a passionate textiles teacher, author, and  collector. She taught weaving at the Central School, London, and in the 1950s spent many years in Ghana teaching textiles at the  Kumasi College of Technology. Correspondence within the acquisition's Registered File indicate that she collected the textiles as  educational aids. ","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Àdìrẹ cloth, unfinished, cotton, West Africa, ca.1963","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["CIRC.309-1964"],"accessionNumberNum":"309","accessionNumberPrefix":"CIRC","accessionYear":1964,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-04-16","recordCreationDate":"2021-07-02","availableToBook":true}}