Woman's Àdìre Wrapper

Textiles

Mid–20th century

Yoruba
Nigeria

Àdìre wrappers—wound around the torso and tucked in or secured just under the arms—celebrate Yoruba women’s technical expertise. The Yoruban word àdìre translates as “tied and dyed” and the wrappers are made from large panels of hand-woven cloth that is resist-dyed with indigo. Here, the artist painted cassava starch paste directly onto the cloth by hand, protecting the areas that would remain dye-free.

Indigo was a source of wealth and status, and is associated with purity and knowledge. For the Yoruba, a cloth deeply saturated in indigo (the result of multiple immersions into the dye vat) is most valuable.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Textiles

Culture: Yoruba
Title: Woman's Àdìre Wrapper
Place: Nigeria (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1925–1975
Medium: Cotton, plain weave; resist dyed
Dimensions: 199.4 × 172 cm (78 1/2 × 67 3/4 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Gil and Roda Graham
Reference Number: 2002.534

Art Institute of Chicago, Elizabeth F. Cheney and Agnes Allerton Textile Galleries, Fabricating Fashion, Aug. 20, 2022–Jan. 2, 2023, no. cat.

Gilbert and Roda Graham, Woodbury, NY, by 2002 [incoming permanent receipt RX23788, Sept. 30, 2002; copy in curatorial object file, Textiles Department]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 2002.

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