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Woman's Dress

Datec. 1850
DimensionsOverall: 78 1/2 × 53 in. (199.4 × 134.6 cm)
Object numberT0096
Credit LineGift of Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label TextThis striking dress is made from two large deerskins, their hindquarters forming the top of the dress, neck and forelegs used to make the lower part. A tail was retained at the front just below the neck, giving such garments their common name of “deer tail” dresses. The striking yoke is decorated with the large early trade glass beads called “pony beads” made in a limited range of colors, predominantly blue, red, and black and fashion a dramatic effect. The attached long slender fringe at the bottom creates a sense of elegance.
Exhibition History"Sacred Encounters: Father De Smet and the Indians of the Rockies," Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University. Bozeman, MT, April 3, 1993 - May 1, 1995.

"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.

"Art of the American Indian: The Thaw Collection," The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, March 2, 2010 - May 30, 2010; Minneapolis Museum of Art, Minneapolis, MN, October 24, 2010 - January 9, 2011; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, April 24, 2011 - September 23, 2011; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN, December 4, 2011 - February 12, 2012.
ProvenanceJames Economos, Santa Fe, New Mexico; B. Chester Dentan, Santa Fe, New Mexico
BibliographyFognell, 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. 201.
On View
On view
Dance Skirt
Hupa
c. 1875
Shirt
Lakota (Teton Sioux)
c. 1890
Dress
Lakota (Teton Sioux)
c. 1895
Dance Apron
Hupa
c. 1875
Bag
Tahltan
c. 1875
Bag
Anishinaabe (Red River Ojibwa)
c. 1790
Jacket
Swampy Cree
c. 1800
Shirt
Lakota (Teton Sioux)
c. 1870
Pouch
Odawa or cultural relatives
c. 1780
Belt
Manitoba Ojibwa
c. 1800
Basket
Pomo
1830-1860
Hood
James Bay Cree
c. 1860

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

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