Black Shirt: An (Un)Known Garment Worn by Mountain Shepherds in the Western Carpathians

• Authors: Michalička Václav

Title variants

CS

Černá košile: (ne)známá oděvní součástka horských pastevců v západních Karpatech

• Languages of publication: CS

Abstracts

EN

The study focusses on black shirts, soaked with animal fat and smoked, worn by Carpathian shepherds in the 17th-19th centuries. The author focuses on sources from the area of the present-day Czech Republic, taking into consideration the wider context of the use of this garment also in the area of the present-day Poland and Slovakia. The chosen theme has been dealt with based on the study of period sources and professional literature as well as on a series of experiments aimed at the technique of making this shirt and at practical issues related to its common use. The functionality of this garment, which featured a special treatment −impregnation with animal fat and smoking − is addressed as well. Due to this treatment, the shirt was more resistant to moisture, cold, wind, and insects. The study also presents results of experimental research which explains the process of making the black shirts, confronting their real properties with historical records. In the conclusion, the author points out the pitfalls of experimental verification due to the unfamiliarity with detailed procedures and production customs, and opens up the possibility of further laboratory research in collaboration with technical disciplines.

Keywords

EN

Folk dress; shepherd’s black shirt; shepherd culture; experiment; reconstruction; Western Carpathians

• Publisher: The National Institute of Folk Culture
• Journal: Národopisná revue (Journal of Ethnology)
• Year: 2023
• Volume: 33
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 103 - 114

Contributors

author

Michalička Václav