Wool Embroidered Jacket (Taqsireh)

Worn primarily for festive occasions, this short-sleeved jacket, or taqsireh, completed a Palestinian woman’s outfit and went over her traditional dress. They were first made in Bethlehem for local women, and after they grew in popularity in the 1920s they were made for women all over Palestine. Beginning in the 1930s, the taqsireh was made using velvet and metallic thread – dating this piece to the beginning of the 20th century.

The ground is a burgundy woolen broadcloth and is embroidered using both couching and satin stitches in polychromatic silk floss thread.