Culture Seneca (Haudenosaunee)

Bag

Datec. 1840-1860

MediumCloth, silk binding, glass beads, glazed cotton lining, thread

DimensionsOverall: 9 1/2 × 7 in. (24.1 × 17.8 cm)

Object numberT0672

Credit LineGift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw

Photograph by Richard Walker

Label TextBags dating from the first half of the 19th century provide a rich overview of Haudenosaunee beadwork. Around 1800, Haudenosaunee women began to make beaded bags for sale to non-Natives, primarily travellers and tourists. Older quill-worked traditions of geometric and curvilinear elements such as double curves and scrolls were translated in beads. Many bags have simple geometric patterns, but others seem to refer to cosmological symbolism. The four cardinal directions frequently appear in the beadwork. Other designs are abstract, suggesting dream or vision-inspired experiences.
Exhibition History"Art Des Indiens D'Amerique Du Nord Dans La Collection D'Eugene Thaw," Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, Somogy Editions D'Art, January 21, 2000 - March 18, 2000.
ProvenanceWilliam Channing, 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.51.

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. 49.

Perriot, Francoise, and Slim Batteux, trans. Arts des Indiens d"Amerique du Nord: Dans la Collection d'Eugene et Clare Thaw. Paris: Somogy editions d'Art, 1999, p. 34, fig. 20.

On View

On view