SARI
India, 20 Century
Textile
Collection of Asian Civilisations Museum
2009-01600
The garo or gara is a sari decorated with Indo-Chinese Embroidery. It is strongly indentified with women of the Parsi community. Parsis are followers of Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest religions in the world. They migrated to India from Central Asia between the 8th and 10th century. By the late-18th and 19th century, Parsis were instrumental in facilitating Bristish trading interests in Chine trade, trading opium, cotton, tea and silk between China, India and Southeast Asia.
A PEDLAR OF BATIK
Singapore/Malaysia
Late 19th-early 20th Century
Collection of the National Museum of Singapore
1991-00382
A Malay batik pedlar sells his wares to a prospecting customer. Hawking drinks, food, handicraft and various products was one of the many pavement occupations for common folk to earn a living in the early days.