Breastplate

Datec. 1870

MediumBone hair pipes, glass and metal beads, German silver, brass, wool yarn, hide thongs

DimensionsOverall: 19 1/2 × 10 1/4 in. (49.5 × 26 cm)

Object numberT0363

Credit LineGift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw

Photograph by Richard Walker

Label Text"Hair pipe" was the term used by white travelers for the tubular shell and bone beads used as hair ornaments by Plains Indians. In the late 19th century they were manufactured for the Indian trade from cow bone by means of power tools. Available in abundance these bone tubes were used in the creation of chest ornaments by the Plains Indians, particularly popular on the central and southern Plains. German silver ornaments hanging from the center bottom of such breastplates are often visible on pictures of southern Plains Indians. Most of these pectorals were manufactured by white traders, who probably derived the idea from Mexican horse trappings. They were referred to as "cloud shaped ornaments," often with crescents as pendants and engraved on the front with a star-like floral design. This design is inlaid with brass on this example, reinforcing the suggestion of non-Native manufacture. Yarn tassels on strings of beads add some extra color. (From the Catalog of the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, 1st ed.)
ProvenanceForrest Fenn, Santa Fe, New Mexico
BibliographyVincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.166.

Fognell, Eva and Alexander Brier Marr, eds. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection at the Fenimore Art Museum, 2nd ed. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2016, p. 183.

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