Bolt of white Belfast Mills cotton cloth 16 yards primary use of this type of white cotton cloth was for mourning purposes. Since white, not black is the Chinese color of mourning........ most of the garments made for family members to wear at Chinese funerals were traditionally made of crude hemp with under robes of white cloth. Later on, just the white robes made of plain white cotton cloth were made for the family to wear at the funeral (the dead is not dressed in white). Many of these robes were kept by the family after washing them, to be used for future funerals and for symbolic purposes. Bolts of white cloth purchased for one funeral could be kept to make more robes for future funerals also.

2011.027.001