Man’s Hatmid 19th century

On view:

Geffen Galleries

No image

Title: Man’s Hat
Culture: Haudenosaunee (Akwesasne Mohawk)
Place Made: United States
Date Made: mid 19th century
Medium: Silk velvet with glass and metal beads, metal sequins, and cotton plain weave
Dimensions: 5 1/2 × 7 1/4 × 7 1/4 in. (13.97 × 18.42 × 18.42 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of B. Rich
Accession Number: M.2012.188.195
Classification: Costumes
Collecting Area: Costume and Textiles
Curatorial Notes: Native American women artists made innovative use of European forms and materials within their traditional craft practices. The woman who created this man’s hat utilized a common European style and pattern but embellished it with abstract floral motifs that were firmly rooted in the beadwork traditions of her own community, the Haudenosaunee (indigenous to modern New York and parts of Canada). Her selection of materials further reflects an adherence to uniquely Native hierarchies of value. The four panels that comprise the hat are individually framed with thin strips of red wool, all painstakingly stitched within the seams, that vividly contrast with the dark brown velvet. These red wool fragments undoubtedly derived from imported English cloths that European traders frequently used as a form of currency when trading with Native Americans. They prized red trade wool for its vibrant color, which English textile manufacturers achieved with pigments derived from pulverized cochineal beetles, long cultivated in Mexico and Guatemala for their uses in making textile dyes, pigments for painting, and medicine.

Nicole LaBouff

2024
Copyright

Man’s Hatmid 19th century

On view:

Geffen Galleries

No image

Title: Man’s Hat
Culture: Haudenosaunee (Akwesasne Mohawk)
Place Made: United States
Date Made: mid 19th century
Medium: Silk velvet with glass and metal beads, metal sequins, and cotton plain weave
Dimensions: 5 1/2 × 7 1/4 × 7 1/4 in. (13.97 × 18.42 × 18.42 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of B. Rich
Accession Number: M.2012.188.195
Classification: Costumes
Collecting Area: Costume and Textiles
Curatorial Notes: Native American women artists made innovative use of European forms and materials within their traditional craft practices. The woman who created this man’s hat utilized a common European style and pattern but embellished it with abstract floral motifs that were firmly rooted in the beadwork traditions of her own community, the Haudenosaunee (indigenous to modern New York and parts of Canada). Her selection of materials further reflects an adherence to uniquely Native hierarchies of value. The four panels that comprise the hat are individually framed with thin strips of red wool, all painstakingly stitched within the seams, that vividly contrast with the dark brown velvet. These red wool fragments undoubtedly derived from imported English cloths that European traders frequently used as a form of currency when trading with Native Americans. They prized red trade wool for its vibrant color, which English textile manufacturers achieved with pigments derived from pulverized cochineal beetles, long cultivated in Mexico and Guatemala for their uses in making textile dyes, pigments for painting, and medicine.

Nicole LaBouff

2024
Copyright