Tapa cloth

Sandwich Island

Medium/Technique Beaten inner bark of the paper mulberry tree, starch, natural plant dyes and pigment, starfish pattern, printed from wooden blocks and overpainted.

Dimensions Overall: 253.4 x 177.8 cm (99 3/4 x 70 in.)

Credit Line Arthur S. Johnson

Accession Number99.127

NOT ON VIEW

CollectionsFashion and Textiles

ClassificationsTextiles

DescriptionThree sheets of the lace tree bark pressed together; painted; squared off with brown lines. In each square a whirling figure in black or brown.

Provenance1899, gift of Arthur S. Johnson to the MFA. (Accession Date: October 11, 1899)