Minneapolis Institute of Art

Wedding dress

Bedouin artist

Date

2000–2001

Medium

Cotton, needlework

Culture

Bedouin

Department

Global Contemporary Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Traditionally, embroidered dresses are an essential part of a young Bedouin woman's marriage trousseau. Before puberty she creates at least seven embroidered dresses, one for each day of the week of her wedding, which is punctuated by a series of rituals and ceremonies. On the third day, the bride dons a white dress elaborately embroidered with a multitude of motifs in auspicious colors. Bedouin wedding dresses function as a public display of a woman's merit in her ability as an embroiderer and the wealth she brings to the marriage. Today fashion, trade, and individual choice have transformed this tradition. The embellishments on this particular dress suggest that it was made for commercial exchange. Egypt, Africa

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