Cover

1801‒25

Medium: Cotton, plain weave; embroidered with silk and metallic thread; edged in silk needle lace
Classification: Textile
Dimensions: 140 × 141.6 cm (55 1/8 × 55 3/4 in.)
Culture: Turkey
Museum: Art Institute of Chicago, Textiles
Credit line: Gift of Burton Y. Berry
Rights: Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed

About this work

In 19th-century hammams, or public baths, bath towels and kerchiefs were some of the most popular and intricately made items. Bath towels were only embroidered on the edges, leaving the middle section bare for drying the body. Women wrapped kerchiefs on their heads as they transitioned to the cold room afterward. In hammams, women were able to showcase items from their dowries, their skillful hand embroidery, and social status with decorative bath coats, clogs, towels, and wrappers.

—Atlas Defne Erkan (Turkish), graduate student in art history, University of Edinburgh; School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BFA 2025)