Some Designs used for Patterns on Girls' Bodies, Calabar, Nigeria, ca. 1930-1940

Tinted lantern slide of drawings made of uli, traditional patterns made on the bodies of Igbo women with dye from the uli plant before marriage and on other special occasions. By the 1930s and 1940, women were painted with uli for both festivals and everyday occasions. Missionaries discouraged the practice of body painting, asking artists to record their designs on paper so that embroidery patterns could be made. This image shows such drawings laid onto a floor. Designs were linear (though not symmetrical) and featured symbols from nature and everyday life. This slide comes from a set on mission, culture and industry in Calabar, southeast Nigeria generated by the Church of Scotland and the United Free Church of Scotland (which was incorporated with the Church of Scotland in 1929.)