wool, silk, beads

Tiny bag of black wool broadcloth with blue silk ribbon binding. Bag has a long rectangular flap with the remains of a tie.

Front of bag is covered with a loom-woven beaded panel in a geometric design of zigag vertical stripes framing alternating hourglass and diamond shapes in black, brown and white. Along the bottom of the bag are looped beaded fringes striped in the same color scheme.

The beads are exceptionally small, of a size consistent with an 1840s date (DP), when these beads sizes became available. Might be a hanging wall piece rather than a bag. The beadwork here shows subtle shading in a way that beading of this period usually did not (high-contrast instead). The piece has also been created on a loom, in the same way as most wampum belts.

length of fringe: 2½ in., length of triangular flap: 2 7/8 in., length of end tie: 2 3/8 in.