A Young Man Fluffing Cotton

Title: A Young Man Fluffing Cotton
Caption: Tanning cotton. It becomes "fluffy" and is used for padding garments making quilts etc. McA. Feb. 1/22. From Mr. McAmmond.
Identifier: EFA_07
Description: A young man is squatting before a pile of raw cotton, which he is fluffing with a large woonen or bamboo paddle-like device. He is wearing a large white turban with a Manchu jacket, trousers and cottong shoes. Behind him is a bamboo fence made with a diagonal weave.
Commentary: Fellow missionary Robert McAmmond sent Robert Ewan photographs to garner support for the West China mission after he had returned to North America in 1912. The correct term for this process is "fluffing." In contrast, cotton tanning refers to the process of adding tannin in preparation for dying.
Creator: Robert McAmmond
Date Created: 1922
Source: Douglas D. Baughn
Provenance: Ewan Family Archives
Access Rights: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Publisher: SIUE
Record Date: 2025-01-18
Contributor: Cory Willmott
Type: Still Image