The Madeline Humm de Mollet Collection

By Museo Textil de Oaxaca

Museo Textil de Oaxaca A.C.

Sampler of designs for blouse Sampler of designs for blouse (segunda mitad del siglo XX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

The plastic artist Francisco Toledo from Oaxaca, Mexico, acquired this important collection in April of 2005, which he subsequently donated to the Textile Museum of Oaxaca upon its inauguration.

Rainmaking ritual (1986-05-03) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Madeline Humm was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1928. Her mother was a textile artist. In 1956, she moved with her husband Hans Mollet to Lima, where they lived for four years, making various trips to the interior of Peru, getting to know the indigenous world.

Blouse Blouse (circa 1990) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Blouse Blouse (1979/1979) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Blouse Blouse (1983/1983) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Blouse Blouse (1964/1964) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Blouse Blouse (1960 or before) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Quechquemitl Quechquemitl (circa 1960) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

In 1960, the couple moved to the City of Mexico where they raised their four children. In 1977, they moved to Puebla. Madeline traveled incessantly throughout Mexico and Guatemala, getting to know the people and collecting textiles in diverse communities.

Huipil (tunic for women) Huipil (tunic for women) (primera mitad del siglo XX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Paño (headcloth) Paño (headcloth) (1988/1988) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Paño (headcloth) Paño (headcloth) (circa 1950) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Paño (headcloth) Paño (headcloth) (1960s) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Shoulder bag Shoulder bag (1964/1964) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

She became an autodidact in photography and ethnography. Besides textiles, she documented vernacular architecture, local markets, and the festivities of Mexico. Madeline passed away in Puebla in 2005 with her collection reaching over a thousand textiles and 11 thousand photographs.

Shoulder bag Shoulder bag (1986/1986) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Shoulder bag Shoulder bag (circa 1986) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Shoulder bag Shoulder bag (1986/1986) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Madeline´s Tlàmachtēntli (fragment from the bottom edge of a huipil) HUI0513 (1650-1710) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

The collection included an indigenous colonial textile, the “tlàmachtēntli,” a fragment of a huipil (tunic for women) that has facilitated the recreation of use of feathers in textiles, including some pieces from the beginning of the 20th century.

Servilleta (cloth for tortillas) Servilleta (cloth for tortillas) (1980s) by Justina Oviedo RangelMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Shawl Shawl (Primera mitad del siglo XX) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Paño (headcloth) Paño (headcloth) (1997/1997) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

Cape Cape (1970s) by UnknownMuseo Textil de Oaxaca

The majority of the collection is in a good state of conservation, even though many of the pieces were used in their place of origin. The documentation of the collection is excellent, as Madeline was a methodical person who rigorously recorded a great volume of information.

Credits: Story

© Museo Textil de Oaxaca A.C.

Presidency: María Isabel Grañén Porrúa
Direction: Hector Meneses
General curator: Alejandro de Ávila
Administration and accounting: Yazmín García and Verónica Luna
Textile research: Noé Pinzón
Collections: Eva Romero, Jesús Aguilar, and Nicholas Johnson
Educational services: Adriana Sabino and Gema Peralta
Conservation: Laura Santiago
Community outreach: Gema Peralta
Communication: Salvador Maldonado
Graphic design: Abraham Hernández
Store: Monserrat Ruíz
Maintenance: Alma Salinas, Ruth Leyva, Manuel Matías, Víctor Robles, and Conrado López

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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