A Long Boro Panel: Mottled Lightweight Indigo Dyed Cotton

early twentieth century
75" x 12 1/2", 190.5 cm x 31.5 cm

This is a length of lightweight, indigo dyed cotton that has been worn hard and thoughtfully mended.  The blue colors of the base cloth and the overlaid patches are beautifully harmonious.

The base cloth is delicately thin from wear and is somehow mottled in tone and shows some ingrained, overall creasing, probably from wear and fading.  The two applied patches are also of lightweight cotton and add a subtle color appeal to the overall length: the pale purple against the warm blue ground is particularly nice.

All in all this is a subtle and attractive length of supple cotton boro cloth--with some care, this could even be worn as a scarf, if you are so inclined.