Objects as Envoys: Cloth, Imagery, and Diplomacy in Madagascar by Christine Mullen Kreamer, Sarah Fee

ISBN: 9780295981963

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Washington Press - 1 March 2002

Paperback, 208 Pages

In 1886, Queen Ranavalona III of the African island nation of Madagascar offered U.S. President Grover Cleveland two striking handwoven silk textiles. The American government later reciprocated with an autographed photographic portrait of the president. Although on the surface a straightforward diplomatic exchange, the objects used―and the ideas behind them―reveal a wealth of information about the culture and history of Madagascar, and its relations with the West.

The essays in Objects as Envoys contextualize and explain the broader significance of this exchange, deftly interweaving discussions of cloth production, international diplomacy, and popular representations of Madagascar and the Malagasy people in Europe and the United States. Together they tell a fascinating story of the people and history of this island country.