Army tunic, about 1890, Unknown Mahdist, 38 3/4 x 53 1/2 in. ( x cm), Cotton, wool, Sudan, 19th century, It looks as though it were designed for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in Paris in the 1910s, the colorful patches of felted wool giving this tunic a 'modernist' look. Yet it’s part of a soldier’s uniform from Sudan, where Muslim leaders successfully fought against the colonial government at the end of the 19th century. The religious Mahdi army wore patches on their uniforms as a reference to the ragged clothes of mystic dervishes, a show of contempt for worldly goods

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Size: 6589px × 5061px
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Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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