Cottomissie in Gala 1900 - 1905

Eugen Klein made this photograph, titled Cottomissie in Gala, in Paramaribo, Suriname. It shows a woman adorned in the distinctive dress of the Cottomissie, or "cotton woman." The way she is dressed is as much a product of colonialism as the photograph itself. The textiles would have been imported, and the forms of dress are based on the fashions of colonizing Europe. This includes her elaborate headscarf and gown. Notice the bananas in the bottom left-hand corner, perhaps alluding to colonial trade. But the way that these garments were constructed is a testament to the artistry of the African diaspora. It is important to remember that in societies under colonial rule, dress could be a form of coded resistance. The skill of the seamstress becomes a political statement. It's a reminder that the meaning of clothing lies not only in its design, but also in the hands that make it, and the bodies that wear it.