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After traveling to Guatemala in 1934 on a Fulbright scholarship, New York-educated designer Ruth Reeves was inspired to create a series of textiles related to traditional designs she had seen and collected there. Reeves’s modern interpretation of the Kiché Maya patterns exaggerated their geometric qualities by magnifying them to a much larger scale. The title Totonicapán refers to either a city or a region of Guatemala.
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Dress and belt
Fabric designed by: Ruth Reeves (American, 1892–1966)
American
about 1936
Medium/Technique
linen plainweave, screen printed
Dimensions
Center back: 104.8 cm (41 1/4 in.)
Center front: 94.6 cm (37 1/4 in.)
Costume: 36 1/2 × 29 × 37 in. (Bust/Waist/Hips) (92.7 × 73.7 × 94 cm)
Center front: 94.6 cm (37 1/4 in.)
Costume: 36 1/2 × 29 × 37 in. (Bust/Waist/Hips) (92.7 × 73.7 × 94 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds donated by the Fashion Council and Elizabeth Ann Coleman
Accession Number2018.200.1-2
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAmericas, Fashion and Textiles
ClassificationsCostumes
After traveling to Guatemala in 1934 on a Fulbright scholarship, New York-educated designer Ruth Reeves was inspired to create a series of textiles related to traditional designs she had seen and collected there. Reeves’s modern interpretation of the Kiché Maya patterns exaggerated their geometric qualities by magnifying them to a much larger scale. The title Totonicapán refers to either a city or a region of Guatemala.
DescriptionWoman's linen dress and matching self belt printed in shades of brown, ochre, and black with pattern of stylized bird, antelope, and human motifs derived from Guatemalan textiles, alternating with geometric bands, called "Totonicapan" and designed by Ruth Reeves in 1936.
Knee-length dress: V-neck; turned back collar at front forming lapel; closing at both shoulders with functional domed white buttons; short sleeves cut-in-one with dress; self patch pockets at front hips; hem knife pleated at sides and rear; separate self belt closing with single button at CF waist, secured with thread belt loops and sides; unlined.
Knee-length dress: V-neck; turned back collar at front forming lapel; closing at both shoulders with functional domed white buttons; short sleeves cut-in-one with dress; self patch pockets at front hips; hem knife pleated at sides and rear; separate self belt closing with single button at CF waist, secured with thread belt loops and sides; unlined.
ProvenanceBy 2007, sold by Upstairs Downtown, New York, to Cora Ginsburg LLC, New York; 2018, sold by Cora Ginsburg LLC to the MFA. (Accession Date: April 25, 2018)