pb_lc_bwo_019450301-0025aa.tiff (17.17 MB)
Bethlehem from the south, 1945
figure
posted on 2019-05-31, 07:56 authored by Freja Howat-Maxted, Leila Sansour, Jacob NorrisJacob NorrisThis is a digital reproduction of an image held within the Library of Congress.
The image depicts a woman collecting water from a well, to the south of Bethlehem (visible in the background). The woman
is wearing traditional garments of Bethlehem. Bethlehem was one of the most famous
centres for embroidery in Palestine, with its dresses produced in linen and
silk. The short jacket (taqsireh) worn over a long sleeved, heavily embroidered
dress with a chest panel is customary to the area. The cone-shaped headdress,
known as a 'shatweh', was worn by married women in Bethlehem and lined with
rows of coins, beads and coral, to display family wealth.
This image is part of the Bethlehem Women collection within the Library of Congress project of the Planet Bethlehem Archive.