M, embroidered, 1870-1897, West African Man's robe, cotton embroidered with silk This is a detail from a man's robe that is said to have belonged to a chief named Bashir-el-Beiruc who lived in the desert between Cape Juby (now in Mali, west Africa) and Sageit-el-Hamara, which we have not located. It includes the upper edge of a very large pocket that covers the left breast of the wearer. Its upper corner has been turned back and secured with embroidered purple and yellow zigzags to form the lower edge of a rectangular neck opening, the double thickness providing some strength to the part that will receive greatest wear. The embroidery is worked in minute running stitches, with details worked in chain-stitch and small eyelets. Although the embroidery is centred on the pocket, it spills over onto the rest of the robe. The size of the pocket and the fact that the embroidery extends beyond it makes it less obvious as a functional element, but when worn the front layer of fabric would have sagged a little, making its presence more obvious.