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garter
garter
garter
A garter made of glass pony beads. Anishinaabe or Haudenosaunee, made between 1700 and 1770. Previously owned by American painter Benjamin West, illustrated around the leg of the lefthand scout (William Johnson) in Benjamin West's painting 'The Death of General Wolfe" (1770). Part of a collection purchased by the British Museum from Harry Margary in 1991.
The British Museum accession record lists it as either Anishinaabe or Haudeonsaunee.
Possibility of it being Haudenosaunee, as the scout wearing it in the painting is meant to be William Johnson, who lived and worked among the Mohawks. Note that Johnson was not present when General Wolfe died -AE
Created from information in the British Museum object catalogue. Changed from "glass wampum beads" to "glass pony beads" CW.
Read More About This Relative
Glass pony beads, white and purple; twined wool, three types (see below).
White and purple glass pony beads woven with three types of twined wool: fourteen warps of two-ply 'Z' twist red twine, two pairs of black two-ply 'Z' twist black twine warps at the bottom and top of the garter, and a weft of light coloured twine. The wefts extend beyond the garter on both sides. The garter is seventeen rows wide (eighteen warps) but is reduced by two or three at both ends, narrowing the garter. It is edged in white beads.
Five human figures, three unskirted and two skirted, placed in an alternating row.
George Hammell, NY State Museum, made the suggestion that the skirted figures may be frock coated Europeans, rather than women.
British Museum accession record.
Provenance
Previously owned by painter Benjamin West, this garter was part of a collection purchased by the British Museum from Harry Margary and Mrs. Margary in 1991.
The garter is illustrated around the leg of the lefthand scout in Benjamin West's painting 'The Death of Wolfe' (1770).
See JCH King 1991, p.39 for an illustration.
About This GRASAC Record
Unknown artist, garter. Currently in the British Museum, Am1991,09.9. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip December 2007; GRASAC item id 25798.
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, Dec.8-22, 2007, funded by a grant from the International Opportunity fund of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Researchers present: Heidi Bohaker (HB), John Borrows (JB), Lindsay Borrows (LB), Alan Corbiere (AC), Jonathan King (JK), Stacey Loyer (SL), Janis Monture (JM), Bruce Morito (BM), Ruth Phillips (RP), Anne De Stecher (AS), Cory Willmott (CW).