# Robe (Boubou Lomasa)

- By: Soninke (Possibly Senegal or Mali; Northern Africa and the Sahel)
- Date: Late 19th century
- Medium: Handspun cotton, indigo dye; polychrome silk and cotton; strip weave, hand embroidery
- Classification: Textile
- Dimensions: 124.5 × 194.3 cm (49 × 76 1/2 in.)
- Culture: Senegal
- Credit line: Arts of Africa and the Americas Curatorial Discretionary and Vedder Price Kaufmann & Kammholtz Endowment funds
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/248700)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/3560fb17-ef51-8061-f8e2-f282789d0d75/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

This type of robe was worn by chiefs, dignitaries, emirs, and other high-ranking men in 19th-century West Africa. It marked the wearer’s standing and prestige, and also identified him as a Muslim. The talismanic motifs were typically designed and stitched by Qur’anic scholars who found inspiration in Arabic texts. Soninke women no longer practice these embroidery styles and indigo-dyeing techniques, which impacted the weaving traditions of a vast region north and south of the Sahara.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0