Bethlehem woman with jar seated under almond tree, c.1934-1939

Title: Bethlehem woman with jar seated under almond tree, c.1934-1939
Description: This is a digital reproduction of an image held within the Library of Congress. The woman pictured sits under an almond tree, with Bethlehem in the distance.

The woman in the image wears traditional Palestinian dress local to the Bethlehem region. Bethlehem was one of the most famous centres for embroidery in Palestine, with its dresses produced in linen and silk. The short jacket worn over a long sleeved, heavily embroidered dress with a chest panel is customary to the area. The cone-shaped headdress (shatweh) also indicates that the subject is a married women of Bethlehem. Shatwehs were lined with rows of coral, coins and beads indicative of family wealth and covered with a white veil.
Identifier: pb_lc_bwo_7240664
Subject: Bethlehem; Palestine; Palestinian Diaspora; Bethlehem Women collection; Traditional dress; Shatweh; Bethlehem embroidery; Bethlehem pottery; Bethlehem headdress
References: https://www.loc.gov/item/mpc2004003011/PP/
License: CC BY 4.0
Contributor: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection
Type: 1 negative : glass, dry plate ; 5 x 7 in.
Source: Library of Congress, Matson Collection
Spatial Coverage: 31.7053996/ 35.1936877
Rights Holder: Library of Congress. No known restrictions on publication.
Date (approximate): c.1934-1939