Materials

Made of red and black woolen yarn, possibly bison, decorated with white pony beads. Both ends have a fringe of seven pieces, finished with white, black and yellow dyed porcupine quills and metal cones containing red dyed deer hair.

Techniques or Format

Finger woven and decorated with interwoven beadwork. The fringe is finished with wrapped quillwork.

Motifs and Patterns

The red area is decorated with a chain of diamonds between two parallel lines, ending with a chevron at one end.

Additional Context

The diamonds and chevron may possibly be a horn motif.

Other Notes

The item's tag says "Old wool hair, bison?"

Dimensions: 54 × 24 × 0 cm

Condition: Good condition. They appear to be nearly new, with a bit of fading.

Reasons for connecting this relative with particular times, materials, styles and uses

Given that this item is part of the Lord Amherst collection, the GRASAC research team places the date of manufacture somewhere between 1758 and 1763.

Current Location: British Museum, London, UK

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: Am1972,13.15

Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: Mrs. Estelle W Fuller

Collection Narratives and Histories

Donated to the British Museum by Mrs. Estelle W Fuller in 1972. Part of the Lord Amherst collection, it was collected by Captain Alfred Walter Francis Fuller.

GKS Reference Number: 26267

How to Cite this Item

Unknown artist, garters. Currently in the British Museum, Am1972,13.15. Item photographed and described as part of a GRASAC research trip December 2007; GRASAC item id 26267.

Record Creation Context

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 Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Record Creation Notes/Observations

Researchers present: Heidi Bohaker (HB), John Borrows (JB), Lindsay Borrows (LB), Alan Corbiere (AC), Henrietta Lidchi (HL), Stacey Loyer (SL), Janis Monture (JM), Bruce Morito (BM), Ruth Phillips (RP), Anne De Stecher (AS), Cory Willmott (CW).