The variety of female textile funerary equipment from nineteenth century (Biala Rawska - Poland)
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2017-04-02

Female textile funerary equipment can take very different forms and functions. They include both woven and knitted fabrics, dresses with intricate cuts as well as simple shirts, coffins upholstery or clothing accessories (ribbons or shoes). Two burials of women discovered during archaeological excavations in the crypt of the church in Biała Rawska were compared and characterized (coffin No. 9 and No. 12) Discussed women were buried in wooden coffins. The state of preservation of textiles led to the analysis functions and technological features. Funerary garment of the first woman (coffin No. 9) was the silk, long apron dressed on linen shirt, which cuffs was decorated with ribbons. Apron was made of 26 pieces (simple textile with plain weave 1/1) having different sizes and shapes (rectangles, triangles). At the lower edge of the apron was silk frill 90 mm wide. Apron was sewn by hand. To do sutures were used silk threads. Repeated use of that garment confirm the tight seams connecting the individual elements. Costume was completed with long, silk, knitted gloves and shoes with textile uppers. Upper shoes were made of patterned fabrics and decorated with ribbons. Second woman’s garment consisted of a silk dress with a complicated cut and numerous haberdashery. The dress consisted of a bodice with long sleeves and sewn into it, heavily a gathered at waist long skirt. The dress was sewn a dense, carefully stitch. Bodice consisted of 12 elements, two at the front (front left and right), the two at the arms (constituting mirror images of each) the eight at the left and right rear portion (also constituting its mirror image).The skirt consists of 7 elements: two located on the left front, two on the right front, and a single central rear portion considerably elongated. Left side is a mirror image of the right side. Fabric used to sew a dress has an area approximately 5 square meters. The head of the dead woman was laid on a pillow with a silk pillowcase. Pillowcase was made from a single piece of fabric (front and rear portion are of the same shape), but in the course of many years, the bottom portion has been destroyed, so archaeologists recorded two separate components. Pillow shape is similar to a quadrilateral with rounded corners. The maximum height is 470 mm, the maximum width is 510 mm. Around the edges (either the front or rear portion) is silk ribbon. The band is now a dark brown color. In addition, between the edges with the ribbons was sewn decorative frill.
The aim of the presentation is the identification of similarities and differences in the 19th century funeral textile equipment of two women, forms of clothing, typefaces, type of additives and manufacturing technology used fabrics.

Author - MA Majorek, Magdalena, Nicolaus Coperncius University Torun Poland, Torun, Poland (Presenting author)