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ProvenanceSam Yeltatzie, Klinkwan, Alaska; Morris Peele, Klinkwan, Alaska; Howard Roloff, Victoria, British Columbia; Shaw Gallery, Aspen, Colorado
BibliographyUnidentified publication, p.26 [photocopy of historic photograph of John Wallace's father and other members of the Klinkwan village]. See photocopy in object file
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.295.
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. 385.
Culture
Haida
Button Blanket
Datec. 1880
DimensionsOverall: 53 1/2 × 68 in. (135.9 × 172.7 cm)
Object numberT0531a
Credit LineLoan from the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust
Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC
Label TextThis type of robe allowed men and women to display their crests on a grand scale. The crest is positioned over their back, encircling them in their family’s inherited rights and privileges. The imagery on this button robe likely represents a sculpin, an important crest. Iridescent mother-of-pearl buttons and abalone shell accent the crest design and borders. The Haida traded goods or raw materials to acquire the brilliant blue-green Californian abalone. The incorporation of this precious material elevated the symbolic power of the necklace and earrings, and thereby the prestige, of its owner.ProvenanceSam Yeltatzie, Klinkwan, Alaska; Morris Peele, Klinkwan, Alaska; Howard Roloff, Victoria, British Columbia; Shaw Gallery, Aspen, Colorado
BibliographyUnidentified publication, p.26 [photocopy of historic photograph of John Wallace's father and other members of the Klinkwan village]. See photocopy in object file
Vincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.295.
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. 385.
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