fan

fan

fan

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Introduction

This fan is made of feathers and birch bark, decorated with moosehair or possibly quill embroidery with a stuffed bird in the center of the fan section. It was donated to the British Museum as part of the Christy Collection.

Nation of Maker: Huron-Wendat
Nation of Origin

Wendat: Lorette.

 

Place of Origin: Huron-Wendat community of Lorette, Quebec
Date Made or Date Range: 19 C
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

BM record.

Materials

The fan is made of birch bark, moose hair, a stuffed bird,and feathers (turkey or pheasant).

Techniques or Format

The handle is made of two pieces of birch bark, embroidered with moose hair on both sides; the fan is made of stiff netting (manufactured) with feathers on edging.

Motifs and Patterns

The floral motifs are different on the two sides of the handle; the border is made with couching and interwoven checkerboard style. The floral motifs are naturalistic in style, the moosehair (possibly quill) is dyed in colors of deep blue, shades of green, cream, yellow, and violet. The colors are blended in graduations, to give a naturalistic effect to the leaves and flower petals.

Condition: Feathers: fair. Handle:fair
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

Christie collection bought in 1856

Current Location: British Museum, London, UK
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: Am.2603
Collection at Current Location: Christy Collection
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1860/1869
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Henry Christy, Christy Collection
Collection Narratives and Histories

Christy was a hatter and also an ethnographer. In 1850 he began a series of journies to study ethnography. See BM biography. He could have bought the fan in Niagara Falls or in Quebec. The Huron-Wendat of Lorette sold these commodity items also in Lorette.

GKS Reference Number: 24581
How to Cite this Item

Unknown Huron-Wendat artist, fan. Currently in the British Museum, Am.2603. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip December 2007; GRASAC item id 24581.

Record Creation Notes/Observations

This record was created as part of a Great Lakes Research Alliance for the Study of Aboriginal Arts and Cultures (GRASAC) research trip to the Pitt Rivers Museum and British Museum, December 8-22, 2007, funded by a grant from the International Opportunities Fund of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Copyright

Updated to suit 2020 GRASAC record standards.

Approximate Place of Origin

46.869279102, -71.347896113

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