kain panjang (hip wrapper)

This kain panjang is a hip wrapper inspired by the Flash Gordon comic series of the 1930s. Although the original comics included aggressive action, scantily dressed women and muscular men, this wrapper depicts no aggression or women. The wrapper includes fully clothed figures in a calm floral environment. Made in Yogyakarta on the Indonesian island of Java, this textile likely belonged to a wealthy and educated individual given their access to the comic series, the premium cloth used, and the labor-intensive patterning. Made of plain-weave cotton, this wrapper was hand-drawn and wax resist dyed using the batik tulis method.

George Rogers (Editor), "Travel", The Textile Museum Bulletin, The Textile Museum Bulletin, Washington, D.C., 1990, vol. Spring, p. 14 (detail)

Ann Rowe (Co-Author) and Ed Rossbach (Co-Author), Textiles of Wonder and Delight: Selected from the Collection of The Textile Museum by Ed Rossbach, The Textile Museum, Washington, D.C., 1990, p. 1 (detail)

Ann Rowe (Author), "Textiles of Wonder and Delight", The Textile Museum Bulletin, The Textile Museum Bulletin, Washington, D.C., 1990, Winter ed., p. 4

Mattiebelle Gittinger (Author), Textiles for This World and Beyond: Treasures from Insular Southeast Asia, Scala Publishers, London, England, 2005, p. 61, fig. 4.13

An Introduction to Textile Terms, The Textile Museum, Washington, D.C., 1997

Sumru Belger Krody (Co-Author) and Shelley Burian (Co-Author) and Lee Talbot (Co-Author) and Karthika Audinet (Contributor) and Carol M. Bier (Contributor) and Walter B. Denny (Contributor) and Barbara G. Fraser (Contributor) and David W. Fraser (Contributor) and Mariachiara Gasparini (Contributor) and Mattiebelle Gittinger (Contributor) and Louise W. Mackie (Contributor) and Ann Pollard Rowe (Contributor) and Rebecca A. T. Stevens (Contributor), Textile Treasures: Highlights from The Textile Museum Collection and the Cotsen Traces Study Collection, Hali Publications Ltd., 2025, 1 ed., 338-341

Textiles of Wonder and Delight: Selected from the Collection of The Textile Museum by Ed Rossbach, February 17, 1990 - August 05, 1990

Intrinsic Beauty: Celebrating the Art of Textiles, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, Washington DC, February 22, 2025 - June 14, 2025

Unraveling Identity: Our Textiles, Our Stories, March 21, 2015 - August 24, 2015

Textiles for This World and Beyond: Textiles from Insular Southeast Asia, April 01, 2005 - September 18, 2005