Blouse

In the pictureThis item is the short cream cotton blouse on the low mannequin in front. The neckline is gathered in pleats, and a wide embroidered panel wraps the sleeve from the shoulder to above the elbow. The embroidery fills droplets, swirls, and flower shapes thickly in red, yellow, and pink mixed with blue and gray-brown. There is a vertical band in the same colors at the center front too, and the wrists end in embroidered cuffs cut in a wavy edge. The blouse behind has red leaf embroidery on the front and blue embroidery on the sleeves. There are a few yellowish stains on the lower front of the blouse in front.

BackgroundThe record lists the material as cotton and the date as the fourth quarter of the 19th century, and the back length is short, at 41.9cm. The photo file name includes two accession numbers, showing that the two blouses were photographed together, and the short length matches the blouse in front. Concentrating embroidery on the shoulders, sleeves, and front of a white cotton blouse is a form common to women's dress in many parts of Eastern Europe, and villages are said to have been told apart by the colors and patterns of the embroidery. Where another blouse from the same expedition has red geometric patterns, this one has round floral patterns mixed with yellow. It was collected on the Brooklyn Museum's 1920–21 expedition.

Puzzle tipThe dark embroidery of the front blouse and the paler embroidery of the back blouse separate by brightness. Assemble the large embroidered panels on both sleeves of the front blouse and the wavy cuffs first, then set the center with the vertical band at the center front. For the back blouse, the red leaf embroidery on the front, the blue embroidery on the sleeves, and the red striped cuff at the right wrist of the picture are the reference points. Fill the plain cream pieces last. 100 pieces is a good fit.