Country Cloth

Cloth, traditionally made from locally grown cotton that is spun into thread, dyed, and woven into strips on a tripod loom. The strips are then sewn together edge to edge to form the finished piece. Such cloth was, in the past, regarded as a sign of wealth and prestige. This example has eighteen narrow brown strips; sewn together they create a chequered effect. This is one of the earliest examples of country cloth in the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery collections from Sierra Leone.