Belt

Belt

Belt

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Introduction

This relative, a belt, is composed of vegetable fibre woven and quill warp and weft with a simple line stitch on border. Collected by British Army officer Jasper Grant between 1800-1809, the origins of the garter pendants are not certain; however, they have probable connections to the central Great Lakes.

These relatives currently resides at the National Museum of Ireland.

Name of Maker(s): Unrecorded
Maker role: Artist
Nation of Maker: Other
Nation of Origin

Wyandot (?)

Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

National Museum of Ireland documentation.

Date Made or Date Range: 1790-1800
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, ON: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984.

Materials

Natural vegetable fibre; porcupine quills, blue, green, black, natural white, yellow, orange; cotton backing, white.

Techniques or Format

Warp and weft of vegetable fibre woven with quill. Simple line stitch on border.

Dimensions: 90.5 × 3.2 × 0 cm
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, ON: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984.

Current Location: National Museum of Ireland
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: NMI 1902.231
Collection at Current Location: Jasper Grant Collection
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Jasper Grant's grandson, Robert Ussher, donated the collection to the National Museum of Ireland in 1902.
Collection Narratives and Histories

Jasper Grant (1762-1812), Anglo-Irish officer who spent 9 years in Canada between 1800-1809. Served as commandant of Fort George in the Niagara Peninsula and of Fort Malden at Amherstburg opposite Detroit. It is likely that his wife, Isabella Grant, played a significant role in the collection of items given her close relationship to Madeline Askin Richardson, the daughter of a prominent fur trader and merchant with extensive ties to the surrounding Indigenous communities.

Source for Provenance information

National Museum of Ireland documentation.

Exhibition History

In 1984-1985 the Jasper Grant Collection was featured in a special travelling exhibition for the Ontario bicentennial, which was organized by the McMichael Canadian Collection and entitled "Patterns of Power."

Publication History

Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg,ON: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984.

Sources to Learn More

Philips, Ruth B. (1986-87). “Jasper Grant and Edward Walsh: the Gentleman-Soldier as Early Collector of Great Lakes Indian Art.” Journal of Canadian Studies 21(4): 56-71.

GKS Reference Number: 1262
How to Cite this Item

Maker, Name unrecorded. Belt. GRASAC ID 1262. National Museum of Ireland Collection NMI 1902.231.

Record Creation Context

This record draws on images and information recorded in Ruth Phillips's book, Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, ON: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984. It was augmented by Dana Murray on August 17, 2025.

Approximate Place of Origin

42.107, -83.1132

Source of Information about Places

This information was informed by the following resource: Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, On.: Patterns of Power, 1984. Fort Walden is identified on the map as a possible origin for this relative, but this reflects only one place where the relative may have lived. It is not a known place of origin; it is only one location associated with where the collector, Jasper Grant, served in the British Army. 

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