The rectangular and pyramidal designs painted onto this bark cloth identify it as an early 20th-century artwork. Across Africa’s Great Lakes region, bark cloth from Buganda, a kingdom in southern Uganda, was held in high esteem for centuries for its rich color and soft texture. Until the mid-18th century, the cloth was worn exclusively by Baganda royalty, and, before the mid-19th century, was entirely undecorated. Changes in land ownership and a growing preference for woven cloth among Baganda elite helped democratize the industry, allowing people outside the kingdom to access decorated, Baganda-made bark cloth. Baganda artists likely created this piece for a Hima patron from Uganda’s Ankole region.