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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.
ProvenanceBelieved to have been given as a presentation piece to James Bruce, the 8th Earl of Elgin and the 12th Earl of Kincardine, governor-general of Canada, during his residency 1847-1854; descended in the Elgin family to the 11th Earl of Elgin and the 15th Earl of Kincardine, Dunfermline, Scotland
BibliographyVincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.61.
Phillips, Ruth B. Trading Identities: The Souvenir in Native North American Art from the Northeast, 1700-1900. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1998, p. 296.
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. 18, fig. 5.
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. 43.
Culture
Wendat (Huron)
Canoe Model
Datec. 1838
DimensionsOverall: 2 1/2 × 2 1/2 × 10 1/4 in. (6.4 × 6.4 × 26 cm)
Object numberT0039
Credit LineGift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw
Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC
Label TextGenre scenes embroidered on this type of souvenir reflect the nature of cultural interaction between Indian and White society during the Victorian Age. The forms and imagery of these pictures clearly reflect European tastes of that period and the idealized stereotype of Indians living a care-free life in a bountiful natural environment. (c.f. Thompson 1977, figs.70-71) The canoe is merely a folded piece of bark, without any technical detail. Decorated with arcadian scenery it has become a symbol, immediately understood by the Victorian tourist. Without hair embfoidery on them, such simple canoe models are still being sold at many tourist outlets, attesting to their enduring symbolism.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.
ProvenanceBelieved to have been given as a presentation piece to James Bruce, the 8th Earl of Elgin and the 12th Earl of Kincardine, governor-general of Canada, during his residency 1847-1854; descended in the Elgin family to the 11th Earl of Elgin and the 15th Earl of Kincardine, Dunfermline, Scotland
BibliographyVincent, Gilbert et al. Art of the North American Indians: The Thaw Collection. Cooperstown, New York: Fenimore Art Museum, 2000, p.61.
Phillips, Ruth B. Trading Identities: The Souvenir in Native North American Art from the Northeast, 1700-1900. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1998, p. 296.
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. 18, fig. 5.
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. 43.
On View
Not on viewc. 1885-1887
