Eye Target (#DW-56)

Machine-made wax printed cloths are worn all over Afirca, primarily by women, for both everyday and ceremonial occasions. Taken from Indonesian batik, the technique uses wax to resist the absorption of dye into certain areas of the fabric, thus creating a design. Specific motifs that remain in high demand for generations usually have a name; this pattern is called Eye Target. During the nineteenth and most of the twentieth centuries, wax prints were manufactured in Europe and exported to Africa. Today, many African countries have established their own factories, thus making them less expensive and more available to a larger population.