Textile sample, with a design of red fruit baskets and green vine leaves on a yellow ground.
May 1st is known as the ‘fête du travail’ – a public holiday in Mali, also known as ‘labour day’. In France, it was set up in the 18th century to protect and celebrate the rights of workers. Possibly the dates being 1886-1986 suggest that the French colonial government introduced Labour Day in Mali in 1886 and the commemorative cloth was produced in 1986, a hundred years later.
These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.
The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.
If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk
