In 1886, Queen Ranavalona III of the African island nation of Madagascar offered U.S. President Grover Cleveland two striking handwoven silk textiles. The American government later reciprocated with an autographed photographic portrait of the president. Although on the surface a straightforward diplomatic exchange, the objects used--and the ideas behind them--reveal a wealth of information about the culture and history of Madagascar, and its relations with the West.
The essays in Objects as Envoys contextualize and explain the broader significance of this exchange, deftly...
In 1886, Queen Ranavalona III of the African island nation of Madagascar offered U.S. President Grover Cleveland two striking handwoven silk textil...
This collection examines cloth as a material and consumer object from early periods to the twenty-first century, across multiple oceanic sites-from Zanzibar, Muscat and Kampala to Ajanta, Srivijaya and Osaka.
This collection examines cloth as a material and consumer object from early periods to the twenty-first century, across multiple oceanic sites-from Za...
