Shawls and Scarves

A scarf is a practical and festive item of daily use, a fashionable clothing accessory and a tool used as a head or neck cover, or as an ornament. At the same time, it can also be a clothing item. Different ways of tying scarves around the head have a rich history. There are religious and practical reasons behind them. Historically, it is not exclusively a female element, but also a male one. The scarf can also be used for many other purposes - medical (for fixation of limbs in case of fractures and bruises), promise scarves (scout) etc.

Visitors can look forward to various scarves and shawls of urban and folk provenance, some of which, due to their exceptional design and technique, rightly belong among European and global uniques. These include beautiful embroidered scarves from the 18th century – for example, a baptismal scarf with the date 1784 embroidered, which was acquired by Mrs. Josefa Náprstková. Thanks to the textile restorers of the National Museum, these scarves were restored to their original beauty.

The exhibition will include, for example, a unique hand-batiked scarf of Mrs. Maria Husarová from Křemž near Český Krumlov from 1955, as well as scale models of tied scarves from Moravia, which were part of the Czechoslovak Ethnographic Exhibition in 1895 in Prague. Also of interest is the bridal scarf obtained in Bosnia by the historically first Czech doctor, Mrs. MUDr. Bohuslava Kecková, or a replica of Božena Němcová's scarf made in the first half of the 20th century.

Interesting toys await small visitors, e.g. a wooden figure of a woman in traditional costume with a scarf on her head or a tin toy of a girl with a scarf.