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Museum object · Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design

Fabric sample of Mangbetu design by Malene Barnett for Afritex

1997

New York, New York, United States, North and Central America

COLLECTION RECORDImage not availableExplore the catalog description and source record.
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Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

Fabric sample of "Mangbetu" fabric, designed by Male Djenaba Barnett for Afritex. The fabric sample is adhered to a sheet of white paper. The sample is purple fabric with a gold design on it. The design is of two profiles of a woman wearing a striped headwrap connected together. There are three rows of the design on the sample. In the top row of the design the heads are facing upwards, on the second row they are facing downwards, and on the bottom row the design is cut off showing only the headwraps. The right edge of the sample shows one profile instead of two connected together.

Sources & collection details

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — original record ↗

Source collection ↗

Catalog metadata · CC0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

Catalog reference: 2025.18.15

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