Posted on: 29 April 2011

Gold Embroiderers - 1873

Photograph of gold embroiderers in India, taken by Shivashanker Narayen in c. 1873, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections. This image of embroiderers seated at sewing frames was probably an exhibition photograph. These craftsmen are working with thread which has been mixed with gold wire made from gold leaf and then melted onto silver bars and forced through small holes in a steel plate to form very fine gauge wires. The thread is used to embroider a wide range of garments; shawls, scarves, sari and turban borders, shoes, purses, tablecloths and many other items. It was held that metal threads from India were less likely to tarnish than similar products from other sources.

Source : Britsih Library


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Benaras...I am quite sure

These are called "addas" by mostly Muslim artisans who do this work till today in workshops all over India. Instead of gold and silver wire now there are multiple colour tubes imported from Japan - called Zardozi work, it is exported to West Asia in huge quantities.Delhi itself has thousands of these addas today and the whole wedding market loves it.It is a process which is done in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran too.

There is a lovely Iranian documentary about an old man who has been deprived of his job because of the war and poor economical conditions of his country. Having made traditional gold brocade all his life, he has to do without his original material because it has become too expensive, and resort to smuggling empty tank bullet cartridges for their copper gold color and turn them into thin wires. The film depicts the journey of these cartridges from army barracks to colorful Iranian dresses and traditional Iranian musical instruments. http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/827/The-Golden-Dances

BANARAS WAS FAMOUS FOR THIS ART

@Sunny Naradmuni, these frames on which the cloth is stretched is called "adda" and this art of gold embroidery is called Zardozi and Karchobe, the glass tubes imported from Japan are used for Beading which is alltogather a different form of embroidery.