The South American Collections
Highlights from the South American costume and textile collections include approximately one hundred and fifty archaeological textiles from Peru, including Paracas and Nazca pieces, some of which are up to three thousand years old. Other outstanding pieces from South America include a spectacular nineteenth century ceremonial barkcloth costume from the Ecuadorian Amazon and a dazzling collection of Cuna molas (elaborately appliquéd textiles) from Panama. Contemporary material ranges from Ecuadorian clothing acquired by anthropologist Nicole Bourque in the late 1980s to Brazilian carnival costumes from Rio de Janeiro, collected by Frances Vincent in the early 1990s.
