How to Read African Textiles

The latest volume in The Met’s How to Read series, focusing on the rich and varied textiles of Africa through forty exemplars from the nineteenth century to the present day

Historically, handwoven cloth and clothing made across the African continent have been labor—intensive creations deeply embedded in local and regional value systems. These fabrics, frequently adapted to communal and individual needs, serve to clothe the body, divide architectural space, protect physical = and spiritual ...