Past exhibitions

An exhibition of the Textile Research Centre. 5 September 2012 – 17 January 2013

Detail of a Vietnamese shoe, early 20th century. Copyright Joost Kolkman. TRC Collection.

The TRC currently shows an exhibition that looks at what people do with their feet. It is based on a small display that the TRC presented at Leiden city hall in 2009. The new TRC version is considerably larger and certainly more thought provoking, and includes footwear from the Leiden area, some of which more than two thousand years old.

The exhibition includes a wide range of footwear for men, women and children from throughout the world, including Afghanistan, Canada, China, France, India, Mongolia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkey, Vietnam, and many other countries. On display, among other things, are cloth, felt, leather and plastic boots, shoes and slippers, including forms as varied as (smelly) goat leather boots from Afghanistan and delicate lotus shoes from China (9 cm in length for an adult woman). There are many types of footwear to explain the differences between boots, mules, sandals, shoes and slippers. The exhibition also shows footwear for specific occupations, footwear with different decorative techniques, as well as footwear for various periods in a person’s life, from babyhood, via marriage to an (American) pair of foot coverings meant for burial purposes!

Thanks to the Department of Monuments and Archaeology, Leiden Council (Afdeling Monumenten & Archeologie Gemeente Leiden), there is a rare chance to see footwear from various archaeological sources in the Leiden region. These shoes date from the medieval period and include baby, child and adult versions.

In addition, there is a section devoted to various types of hosiery (socks, stockings, tights, garters and suspenders), as well as henna patterns for the feet and, of course, foot jewellery. Over 150 examples of footwear are  on display.

As with other TRC exhibitions, A Well-Dressed Foot! can be visited during the opening hours of the TRC, namely, from 10.00 until 16.00, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Entrance is free, but, since the TRC is completely run by volunteers, donations are most welcome!

Guided tours: During the period of the exhibition every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. You do not need to register in advance, but, if you are coming with a group, prior notification is appreciated. The guided tours last from 14.00 until 15.30 and cost €7.50 per person.

The concept of women’s head and hair covering, especially in the Islamic world, attracts a lot of attention in the media, but little is said about the actual and highly Traditional lace cap with straw Sunday hat, from West-Friesland, The Netherlands. TRC Collection.diverse ways with which women and girls from all religions and cultural backgrounds, both in the Netherlands and throughout the world, bedeck their heads and hair. The current TRC exhibition shows over fifty examples of traditional Dutch lace caps from the four corners of the country, and 101-plus modern and traditional ways of covering and decorating the head and hair, worldwide. There are individual items as well as complete outfits, all of which help to show how a well-decorated head is an important matter, both for the wearer and society.

In the exhibition it is possible to see many different forms of head and hair attire, including items made of beads, cloth, embroidery, feathers, furs, rainbow colours, shells, even human hair. Some of the items on display are elaborate constructions that simply make you wonder how they could ever be worn, let alone while walking or dancing.

The exhibition includes outfits and headgear kindly provided by various foreign embassies in The Hague.

In cooperation with the Department of Monuments and Archaeology, Leiden, and with the financial support of the Fonds 1818, the TRC has set up an interactive exhibition about hand spinning from all over the world, past and present. The exhibition is open to the public from Monday 22 August until Wednesday, 21 December 2011, at the TRC Gallery, Hogewoerd 164, Leiden. Visitors to the exhibition will be introduced to the many diverse techniques and materials that are used to prepare fibres and then given the chance to hand spin them into threads.

From fibres to thread

The exhibition includes modern utensils, ethnological spindle whorls and various forms of spinning wheels. These and other tools show the complete process of spinning, from preparing the raw fibres to the many techniques that are used to spin the fibres into a thread, by hand.

Archaeology 

The exhibition includes finds from pre-Columbian South America, Roman and medieval European remains, as well as Bronze Age Middle Eastern whorls. Together they provide a broad image of the worldwide history of hand spinning. Finds from the archaeological depot of the Leiden municipality tell about the close relationship between Leiden and the textile industry before the start of the industrial-scale production of broadcloth of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. There are also loans from the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden, including spindle whorls from the famous excavations at Troy.

Interactive exhibition

Visitors will be given the opportunity to personally experience the technique of hand spinning , with a spindle, spindle wheel or a spinning wheel. They can use cotton, flax, silk or wool, but why not try some more exotic fibres, as for instance, from a camel, a yak or an alpaca, or even banana? 

On Wednesday, 11th May, 2011, HRH Princess Rajwa bint Ali opened a beautiful exhibition in the National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman, Jordan, entitled "Dutch lace cap exhibition meets Jordanian and Palestinian embroidered caps and head covers" (for the official announcement of the exhibition, click here).  The exhibition was set up by the TRC in cooperation with Mrs. Widad Kawar, under the auspices of the Netherlands Embassy in Amman. The opening was attended by some 200 guests. The exhibition includes seven fully dressed figures, and at least thirty lace and embroidered caps, showing a stunning contrast between the white lace and gold jewelry from Holland, and the multicoloured caps and silver jewelry from Jordan and Palestine. Many elements of the exhibition created a stir among the visitors, both Jordanian and foreign, looking at the way in which Dutch women used to cover their head and hair, and sometimes still do. Suddenly Western Europe and The Netherlands did not appear to be so strange and far away. For more information and some photographs, click here.

From Tuesday 29th March 2011, until 17th August 2011,  the TRC Gallery shows a new exhibition, which highlights an iconic form of dress from 20th century China. This is the cheongsam, a dress form for women that developed in China in the 1920s. It was first popular in Shanghai, where it was fashionable for elite women and then spread throughout China and other parts of the world thanks to the Chinese diaspora. Its peak of popularity An advertisement for Victoria soap, from Shanghai in the 1920's, showing two women wearing a cheongsam dress.was reached in the 1950s and 1960s. During the 1970s the wearing of the cheongsam was more or less banned in China and replaced by the ubiquitous, blue Mao suit (a genuine example of this suit is also on display). The cheongsam recently made a revival, both in China and the West, due to the changing economic situation of China over the last decades. The exhibition includes over forty women and girls' dresses on mannequins, as well as individual garments. The exhibition is accompanied by posters and photographs showing how the dresses were worn in daily life and on special occasions, such as weddings. The garments on show span a period of over one hundred years. There are even examples of the latest cheongsam fashion from Singapore, especially acquired for the exhibition in March of this year.  

The TRC is well-known for its display of Middle Eastern clothing, and therefore the Cheongsam exhibition is both a challenge for the organisers and an eye-opener for many regular TRC visitors.

The exhibition will be on display up until and including Wednesday 17th August. Entrance is free, and every Wednesday, from 14.00 hours onwards, there will be a guided tour (fees: 7.50 euros).

This exhibition is being staged with the very active support of Pepin Press, Amsterdam, and members of the Leiden Chinese community.

Men and women's clothing from Afghanistan

A New Exhibition in the TRC Gallery: 8th November 2010 - 23rd March 2011

Afghan clothing exhibition comes to Leiden:  For hundreds of years Afghanistan has been at the cross-roads between Asia, India and the West. During all that time, Afghanistan changed its name many times, but one thing that has not changed is the love the Afghan people have for colourful clothing, jewellery and embroidery.
The materials, designs and colours used by the Afghans for their clothing reflect the central and strategic location of their country. This aspect is found among all the people. The main ethnic groups in Afghanistan are the Baluch, Hazaras, Nuristani's, Pashtuns, Tajiks, Turkmens and Uzbeks. Each group has its own special way of living and its own history and background, which are reflected in their traditional dress. Some of these garments are relatively plain, others are decorated with woven, dyed and embroidered patterns in bright colours. Some garments are made of silk, others of heavy felt reflecting how cold the temperature can be at night in the mountains.

Afghan girl in traditional clothing. Photograph: Hans Stakelbeek

Although Western styles of clothing are becoming more widespread, the Afghan people are proud of their traditional dress and use it as often as possible, especially for special occasions such as the religious Eid festivals and the New Year celebrations at Nauroz. The exhibition includes over 30 outfits, plus other garments and accessories, for men, women and children. There is also an unusual outfit for buzkashi, the aggressive game of 'polo' played by Afghan men on horseback. In addition there will be the opportunity to try on a chadari (burqa'), the famous Afghan veil for women. Also on display will be a series of photographs taken by the Dutch photographer, Hans Stakelbeek, who spent many times in Afghanistan on behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The organisation of the exhibition is being supported by Dr Willem Vogelsang, former curator Southwest and Central Asia of the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden, and since June 2008 working in Uruzgan, Afghanistan.

TRC Gallery, Hogewoerd 164, Leiden. Opening times: Monday to Wednesday, from 10.00 until 16.00, other days by appointment.

A New Exhibition in the TRC Gallery
30 August 2010 until 20 October 2010

Dress is what people wear to say who they are, what they are doing and why. The latest TRC exhibition, Three Takes on Dress, presents three totally different snapshots about dress from India (badla embroidery), Jordan (the huge Thob 'Ubb) and Turkey (circumcision dress). Three Takes on Dress has been made by various staff members and students from Leiden University. For more information, click her.Selection of modern Turkish circumcision outfits. TRC collection. Photograph Joost Kolkman.

First take: The Thob `Ubb: The longest dress in the world?
This exhibition features a Bedouin dress from Jordan that is 3 metres long and nearly 2.5 metres wide, sleeve end to sleeve end. The story goes that women started to wear these enormous dresses in order to prevent tax collectors taking small items of value such as money and jewellery. It would have been a brave man who was prepared to search these Bedouin women! The exhibition includes replica garments that can be tried on.Egyptian performer of the 1940´s wearing badla decorated clothing. Postcard TRC collection.

Second take: Badla: silver embroidery from India
Badla is a metal thread embroidery technique that originated in India and then spread throughout the Middle East. The Egyptian version became popular in the West during the 1920s following the opening of the tomb of Tutankhamen and the ensuing Egyptomania. The exhibition includes fine nineteenth and twentieth century examples from India, Iran and Egypt, as well as a rare 1920s flapper dress from Europe that is made out of two Egyptian shawls.

Third take: ‘Prince for the Day’: Turkish circumcision outfits
One of the most important markers of a Muslim boy’s life is his circumcision. This operation identifies him as a member of the Islamic community. When this event occurs varies from one country to another. In Turkey, for example, it normally takes place when the boy is between 6 and 10 years old and for one day he is regarded as a prince and treated to a large party to celebrate this important moment. The exhibition includes a late nineteenth century circumcision outfit, as well as several examples of the current fashions in Istanbul.

Detail of sari decorated using batik. TRC Collection. Photograph by Joost Kolkman.The Textile Research Centre, together with the National Museum of Ethnology, organises an exhibition on the Indian sari. The exhibition will be on display at the National Museum of Ethnology, Steenstraat 1, Leiden, from 21 March to and including 17 October 2010.

The sari is a long piece of cloth that is wrapped around the body. The various materials, the decoration and the way in which the garment is worn reflect the many different parts of the Indian subcontinent, the various ethnic groups, age and caste differences, and so forth. The exhibition includes tens of beautiful examples of this gracious garment and it thus illustrates its long history and diversity.  

A large exhibition on the subject of saris, emphasising the techniques of producing and decorating the garment, is currently for hire by other museums or suitable institutes. Click here