Floral case

Floral case

Floral case

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Introduction

This ancestor is a case featuring floral motifs. This ancestor has a natural birch bark base and dark brown handle, with braided sweetgrass bordering the floral designs on each side. One side has two large flowers, one blue and the other one orange, with four blue and yellow flowers, one in each corner. Each of the smaller blue flowers are faded and are attached to green stems. The other side features three blue and white flowers, each with green leaves and a stem. The middle flower has two buds attached to the stem. Quillwork floral trim wraps around both sides of the case, featuring flowers in yellow, green, blue, orange, pink and red. There is evidence of red yarn near the handle. The handle is attached with metal rings, with either brown linen or cotton seam tape along the edges of the birch bark designs. The inside of the case also appears to be made of birchbark. This ancestor currently resides at the Detroit Institute of Art, in Michigan.  

Nation of Maker: Ojibwe Other
Nation of Origin

Possibly Ojibwa.

Place of Origin: Northeast Woodlands, US and Canada
Date Made or Date Range: Likely 19th century
Materials

Birch bark, porcupine quills, sweetgrass, dye, cotton or linen seamtape, red and burgundy wool yarn

Techniques or Format

Case-like object constructed of strands of sweetgrass stitched with thread in coil-like fashion. Braided sweetgrass curvilinear motifs stitched on top of sweetgrass portion of case. Birchbark panels on front and back are worked with multicolor quills. The handle is wrapped and attached with metal rings - handle appears to be recycled from different source. Brown linen or cotton seamtape edges the bottom of the two birch bark panels.

Motifs and Patterns

This ancestor has braided sweetgrass surrounding the floral designs, which are on both sides of the case and are mostly blue with a yellow center. The designs are both symmetrical, although they feature different petal colours.

Other Notes

Probably analine dyes.

Dimensions: 33 × 20.3 × 15.9 cm
Condition: Fair; structurally sound but many quills are faded and missing, and some of the braided sweetgrass has fallen off. Some quills are missing but the colors are still good. What appears to have been red wool yarn exists near the handle. Blue quills deteriorating.
Current Location: Detroit Institute of Arts, MI, USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 50.249
Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://dia.org/collection/satchel-1606
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1950
Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: The Detroit Institute of Art received this ancestor in 1950 from Mrs. Orville H. Ehnes [Janet E. Ehnes], according to their catalogue record.
Collection Narratives and Histories

Gifted to the Detroit Art Institute in 1950, with the only recorded owner being Janet E. Ehnes.

GKS Reference Number: 1186
How to Cite this Item

Unknown Maker. "Floral Case", GRASAC ID Number 1186, located in the Detroit Institute of Art catalogue number 50.249.

Record Creation Context

This record was created by Natasha Fares and Kara Annett with information from the DIA’s record of the ancestor.

Approximate Place of Origin

43.6, -71.9

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