Head scarf?

Purchased in Addis Ababa in the 1960s.

In 2013 Nicola Stylianou researched this object as part of a Collections Review:

A company called Cotonificio Barattolo made this headscarf in the mid 1960s. The company is now owned by the Zambaita group and operated by ZA.ER.PLC. Their factory is based in Asmara - now Eritrea but was part of Ethiopia at the time of production. Roberto Barattolo went to Ethiopia in 1934 to start a commercial agency. Following the Second World War he built a textile factory and production began in 1956.

The image is a screen print depicting two poodles, a black dog on a white background and a white dog on a black background. Both dogs have a blue ball, blue collar and brown eyes. The dogs are likely to have belonged to Haile Selassie’s. He had a succession of pet dogs throughout his life and was frequently photographed with them giving some of the dogs an almost ‘celebrity’ like status.

Object Summary

Accession Loan No.
114/2004/3
Category
Ethnography
Collection Class
Clothing and accessories
Collection Area Region
NE
Material
cottonpigment
Common Name
head scarf?
Simple Name
cloth
Inscription Transcription
MADE BY BARATOLLO ETHIOPIA; ‘Les Corniches’ / The Poodles
Production Town
Asmara
Production Country
Ethiopia
Production Person Initials
Roberto
Production Person Surname
Baratollo

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head cloth