Garters

Garters

Garters

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Introduction

Beaded garters from Bear Island ca. 1913. The main motif, which is appliqué beaded onto black stroud, features thistles, conventional six-petal roses, and leaves arranged along a vine. The bottoms and the ties to fasten the garters have been embellished with colourful tassels made of embroidery thread. Collected by Frank G. Speck, these garters are part of the Canadian Museum of Civilization collection.

Nation of Maker: Anishinaabe
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular nation(s)

Field notes record that the garters were purchased at the Temagami First Nation (Bear Island Reserve).

Place of Origin: Temagami First Nation
Date Made or Date Range: ca. 1913
Materials

Black stroud, glass seed-beads (blue, white, pink, red, purple) heavy white cotton fabric, silk embroidery thread (greens, blues, purples, reds, yellows, and black) white cotton sewing thread, leather, blue silk ribbon

Techniques or Format

Each garter is constructed of two pieces of fabric. The beading is appliquéd onto black stroud and a heavy white cotton fabric is affixed to the back of the stroud which hides the stitches. A dark blue ribbon sewn around the perimeter of the garters prevents the white fabric from being visible from the front. The bottom of the garters features tassels made from glass seed beads and finished with embroidery thread. These tassels are fastened in between the black stroud and backing material. Two leather-tasseled fastening ties on each end of the garters are sewn directly onto the white backing material.

Motifs and Patterns

The main motif is a floral design. On each garter there are three six-petal convential roses and twelve thistles (shown in two stages of development). The flowers are arranged along a white and pink 'double-curve' vine.

Dimensions: 46 × 16.8 × 0.5 cm
Condition: These garters are in excellent condition. There are no missing beads and all the tassels are in tact.
Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

Field notes indicate that Speck collected these garters in either June or July 1913. It is unclear if they were newly made upon collection or had been made prior to 1913.

Current Location: Canadian Museum of History, Ottawa, Canada
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: III – G – 276 a-b
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1914-04-09
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: Collected by Speck in June or July of 1913
Sources to Learn More

Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. "Central Cree and Ojibway Crafts" Volume 3, Clothing (Ottawa:Indian and Northern Affairs, 1974): 17.

GKS Reference Number: 25869
Record Creation Notes/Observations

This record was made in conjunction with Ruth Phillips' Indigenous Arts of the Great Lakes Region: Historical Contexts and Cultural Translations class at Carleton University, Fall 2010.

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