Mandingo gown

A Mandingo, or Kusaibi, gown, exhibited at the 1924 British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, in London. It is made from fourteen narrow strips of indigo dyed cotton, and extensively embroidered in cotton and wool, in white, blue, red, and pink. The cream geometric embroidery on the front of the gown, composing of three interlinked squares, is thought to represent a compound of houses. The term Mandingo here, is associated with Muslim elites from the north of Sierra Leone.

Further Information

• Type: Costume, dress, Regalia
• Object: Mandingo gown
• Materials: Textile
• Culture Group: Mandingo
• Dimensions: 1830mm [W] x 1010mm [L]
• Production Date: Pre 1925
• Associated Places: Unknown
• Associated People: Sierra Leone Exhibition Commissioners
• Museum: British Museum
• Accession Number: BM:Af.1925.1125.3

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