Miniature Peruvian Shirts with Horizontal Neck Openings

AbstractThree miniature cotton shirts, found among the textiles of the Uhle collection from beneath the Temple of Pachacamac, in the University Museum, Philadelphia, show an unusual style of tubular construction in which the warp yarns run horizontally and the neck and arm apertures are located along the upper edge of the shirt. Apparently falling in Uhle's early classification of “Epigone Style” these miniatures show the same general garment form as that of a large shirt reported from the La Capilla cemetery of Hacienda Marques, and in addition, display pleats and a yoke-like use of warp-wise bands seen in a few garments of a related style reported from Piedras Gordas and Huacho, the latter presumably of later date than the former. Although the miniatures are sufficiently sturdy to have served as doll clothing, their purpose is unknown.