Cloth, Batik

Kain Panjang

Note: Thefollowing text is taken from a 19th-century collection catalog and, in itslanguage and perspective, partially reflects colonial thought patterns. Wepresent the text in its original version to make the collection's historytransparent and promote a critical examination of the colonial legacy. Certainterms and formulations may be perceived as problematic today. A 2009 researchproject concluded that most descriptions are factually correct and stillusable; only a few details were found to be inaccurate or incorrect. Theresults of this project were published in the following collectioncatalog: https://khm-wmw-tm-library.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1457155265

"611 - 613.Skirts - "Sarongs"
The Javanese sarongs are very narrow, have few folds when they are worn, layclose to the body. They are all dyed in the manner described above (batik) andexhibit more or less fine designs. They are popular house dresses for allEuropean women in India, who spend their whole lives, so to speak, in suchclothes. They sleep in them and wear them at home and even go out in them to dotheir shopping. Only in the evenings in large towns and places, where visitsare made and received, are European clothes worn. On the steam ships, in thehotels, everywhere one sees the women only in these clothes. It is a very cooland comfortable costume but also unattractive, since it covers the body like asack. Above the sarong the European women wear a long cotton jacket, more orless elegantly embroidered. Sarong and "kabaja" - that is the name ofthe jacket - are the only components of this house dress. The Javanese sarongsalso have a simple, large surface which has a uniform pattern, then the headpart, "kapala", which is quite different and unique in its design, ofhorizontal zigzag pattern which is variously colored and rich with flowers andarabesque decorations. These examples have very fine designs, two come fromSurukarta, blue, brown and yellow, the third from Surabaya - a very finelyexecuted two-color design in red and yellow."

Translationof: Czurda, F. A. J. (1883). Catalog mit Erklärungen der EtnografischenPrivatsammlung des Dr. F. A. J. Czurda in Postelberg (Böhmen). (p. 154-155).Wien, Wilhelm Braumüller