The bohemian life. In the 1910’s and 1920’s, excess and fun, decadence and pleasure, the quest for riches and fame sculpted the taste of the wealthy, powerful, and famous. During this era, actresses and dancing ladies posed for portraits, advertisements for plays, movies, fashion, and beauty products. They slunk across screen magazines, pouting languidly with the perfect seductive slink of their bodies, echoed in the glittering drape of assiut shawls. This shawl would send encoded messages that could easily read by a sophisticated consumer of cultural iconography. Assiut represented luxury, travel, and the bohemian lifestyle, inspiring the viewer to fantasize about the qualities sensual pleasure, feel the echoes of exotic locales, and above all, recognize the status and privilege. During this era, If a sitter was unprepared, many high-end professional photographers of the day would have an assiut shawl in their collection of props to pull out and artfully drape about the shoulders of their sitters. Here are photos of four working artists of this era, a small sampling of this type of image which often appeared in fan magazines, on trading or post cards, and as large posters for theater lobbies. Enjoy! ~ Davina

Carmel Meyers – French Opera Singer

Paulina Stark – American Modern Dancer

Ann Forest – Danish Silent Film Actress
Gabrielle Ray – English Theatrical Actress/Dancer/Singer

Prices, conditions and availability of vintage and antique assiut vary wildly and are always in a state of flux. The key to getting the best deal is to be as prepared and knowledgable as possible. Here are my top tips for anyone who’s delving into the world of antiques to purchase a vintage assiut shawl or garment.


Recently, I’ve been getting a lot of requests for detailed instructions for how to clean vintage assiut. There are a few guidelines I would like to share with you, but I have to begin with a disclaimer. Antique assiut can be extremely fragile. Before you clean, think about the value of the piece for you. In antique textiles, sometimes the most gentle forms of cleaning can be destructive. So before you have a go at cleaning it, consider your skills and if you are prepared to accidentally destroy the garment or shawl. As a historian, I recommend using the least invasive and potentially destructive methods for care and cleaning. Below is an excellent resource for cleaning vintage and antique textiles. My personal process echo this detailed .pdf.
