Egyptian Textiles

My friend and I went back to The Albany Institute of History and Art today to examine the textiles found under their mummies. We examined the two largest pieces. Both pieces are S spun warp and weft, and tabby weave. The first piece is a rectangle, with a selvedge edge. There is no way to know what its original purpose was, but it is a lovely piece of fabric.

The blue/green warp threads are almost hidden by the weft, but enough color peeks through that it almost reminds me of modern 2-color fabrics. The selvedge edge is also decorative.

The second piece we examined was a piece of clothing. It is 59 inches long, and includes a seam and an armhole. The bottom edge is fringed. There is decorative stitching around the armhole.

Isn't it beautiful? We have taken measurements and photographs. Now it is time to do more research!