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Bag

Datec. 1840-1860
DimensionsOverall (With handles): 12 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (31.8 × 16.5 cm) Overall (Without handles): 7 × 6 1/2 in. (17.8 × 16.5 cm)
Object numberT0698
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.

"Arrows of the Spirit: North American Indian Adornment from Prehistoric to Present," Mingei International, San Diego, California, August 27, 1999 - April 1, 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.49.

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. 48.

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. 35, fig. 23.
On View
On view
Bag
Seneca (Haudenosaunee)
c. 1840-1860
Bag
Seneca (Haudenosaunee)
c. 1840
Bag
Seneca (Haudenosaunee)
c. 1840-1860
Bag
Seneca (Haudenosaunee)
c. 1840-1860
Bag
Seneca (Haudenosaunee)
c. 1840-1860
Bag
Seneca (Haudenosaunee)
c. 1840-1860
Bag
Seneca (Haudenosaunee)
c. 1840-1860
Bag
Niantic or Mohegan
c. 1860-1890
Bag
Niantic or Mohegan
c. 1860-1890
Bag
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)
c. 1850-1870
Bandolier Bag
Potawatomi
c. 1900
Bag
c. 1820-1840

5798 STATE HIGHWAY 80
COOPERSTOWN NY, 13326
607-547-1400

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