fan

fan

fan

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Introduction

Fan with birchbark handle, feathers (possibly hawk), printed cotton edging, and porcupine quills. Different floral motifs are featured on each side of handle. Collected by Johann Georg Schwarz when he travelled to Detroit and Upper Canada in the 1820s. This fan is currently housed at the Weltmuseum Wien, Vienna, Austria.

Name of Maker(s): Unknown Indigenous artist
Nation of Origin

No nation noted on tag

Date Made or Date Range: Before 1822
Materials

Birchbark feathers (hawk according to Naomi Recollet), printed cotton edging, and porcupine quills.

Techniques or Format

Handle is made with two identical pieces of bark which are held together by quills inserted around the edges; the top is edged with cloth, and the feathers are inserted in between to make the fan.

Motifs and Patterns

Handle stylized with floral motifs, different on either side.

Dimensions: 26 × 0 × 0 cm
Condition: Poor
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

Johann Georg Schwarz collected this item, possibly when he traveled to Detroit and through Upper Canada in the winter of 1820-1821.

Current Location: Weltmuseum Wien, Vienna, Austria
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 12015
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1820s
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: 1820s
Previous Collectors: Johann Georg Schwarz
Collection Narratives and Histories

Johann Georg Schwarz traveled to Detroit and through Upper Canada in the winter of 1820-1821.

GKS Reference Number: 59012
How to Cite this Item

Unknown Indigenous artist, fan. Currently in the Weltmuseum Wien, Vienna, Austria, 12015. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip January 2016; GRASAC item id 59012.

Record Creation Context

In January of 2016, a small team of GRASAC researchers visited the collection to study and photograph it: Ruth Phillips, Lisa Truong, Naomi Recollet (Anishinaabe (Odawa/Ojibwe), Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory) and Wahsontiio Cross (Mohawk, Kahnawake). This GKS record was created in December 2021 by GRASAC RA Amelia Healey.

Record Creation Notes/Observations

Created using a spreadsheet with information noted by Ruth Phillips, Lisa Truong, Naomi Recollet (Anishinaabe (Odawa/Ojibwe), Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory) and Wahsontiio Cross (Mohawk, Kahnawake).

Approximate Place of Origin

43.0612, -78.4489

Source of Information about Places

No region noted on tag

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