BROWN FLEMING AND THE HAARLEM COLLECTION: THE EUROPEAN PRODUCTION OF WAX PRINTS FOR WEST-AFRICA

In 1893, an enterprising Scottish merchant, Ebenezer Brown Fleming, introduced the first imitations of wax-printed batik, produced in the Netherlands, and adapted them to the tastes of African customers. These copies of Indonesian batik, manufactured in Europe and initially intended for the South-East Asian market, became very popular and spread throughout West and Central Africa.

This book seeks to trace the history of this unexpected craze, drawing on both current research and primary sources. New research based on Dutch, English and Swiss archives has made it possible not only to reconstruct the earliest collections, but also to provide an overview of the development of Dutch wax in Europe, from its beginnings to the last existing company, Vlisco, which still prints these classics today.