First half of the 20th century

Phulkari

The loose embroidery, curved-tree motifs, and thread colors of this work suggest it was made in Pathankot (modern Himachal Pradesh). This ancient city in the Himalayan foothills of northern India long served as a center for travel into and out of that great mountain range. The sharing of motifs, especially within regions, suggests that embroiderers worked from a common repertoire of forms. This sharing occurred both by motifs being passed down through the generations and by the circulation of actual textiles.