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Banyan

Description

Red silk banyan owned and worn by Solomon Etting (1764-1847). Banyans, the loose robes or dressing gowns men wore informally in their homes, reveal the influences from the Middle East and Far East in the Western World. Constructed from luxurious imported fabrics, such as hand-painted India chintzes and Chinese silks, these robes symbolized a man’s worldliness and connections to foreign lands. Such a visual proclamation from Etting’s own banyan coincides with his career as a merchant involved in the Baltimore East India Trading Company.

Creator

Date

circa 1780s

Materials

Silk

Dimensions

24 inches (shoulder), 45 inches (chest), 45 inches (waist)

Object ID

1918.6.58

Resource ID

163

Notes

Worn by Solomon Etting (1764-1847).

Credit Line

The Eleanor S. Cohen Collection

Digital Publisher

Digital resource provided by the Maryland Center for History and Culture

Rights

This digital image is made available here for private study, scholarship, and research. Commercial and other uses are prohibited without the permission of the Maryland Center for History and Culture. For more information, visit the MCHC’s Reproductions and Permissions web page.