Leggings (2), Men's

Leggings (2), Men's

Leggings (2), Men's

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Introduction

Menomini leggings made of blue coth with a rianbow edge with geometric designs created with silk ribbons, seed beads in symmetrical floral and geometric motifs. Collected by Dr. W. C. Barnard in Wisconsin around 1930.

Nation of Maker: Menomini
Nation of Origin

Menomini

Date Made or Date Range: 1900s to 1930
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

NMAI records from collection acquisition, and physical examination by Cory Willmott and Ann McMullen, July 2007.

Materials

Fine Rainbow cloth (blue) with most selvedge cut off in order to bind into the edges of side flap; broadcloth (black); Lining = cotton with small woven motif (navy), silk ribbon: wide (dark red, medium red, turquoise, dark lime green; purple); medium width (mint green, red , purple, cream, black, royal blue); sz. 11 seed beads (greasy turquoise and clear transparent); sz. 10 seed beads (color lined salmon; clear: yellow, red; opalescent pearl, opaque: lemon yellow, pink, dusty rose, periwinkle), cotton thread.

Techniques or Format

Two rectangles, each sewn together on one side to form tube with wide side flap. Flaps covered with 5 " wide panel of ribbonwork which goes up to 3" below top edge. Sewing of back to front (to create legging) done at an expanding angle from cuff to top. At top of panel there are two beadwork pendants attached. These also attach to black cloth used as ties to attach to belt. There is also a beadwork column inside the ribbonwork panel. Beadwork is floral applique; pendents are fully filled in; column is composed of descrete elements linked by a wavy line.

Motifs and Patterns

Ribbonwork panel on front has variation of ottertail with three columns surrounded by wide solid color ribbons; back has a single wide ribbon on side panel. Cuffs are the same on front and back and have a narrower variation of ottertail surrounded by wide solid color ribbon. Beadwork design on the flaps consists of wavy lines with tulip-like flowers inside the waves of alternating color combos. The pattern on the pendants is the same, except that the background is filled in and the flowers are three petaled and almost the same throughout. Oddly, the background is clear dark red. The pendants terminate in ribbon three layered tabs with elaborate cut out and pinked designs. The edges are bound with ribbon all around the sides and cuffs. There are two rows of a single line of applique stitch clear beads on the outside of the flaps. On the pendants, the outer edge is bound with ribbon and decorated with a single row of running stitch in transparent beads. The remains of the rainbow selvedge are visible above the ribbon binding of the back flap.

Other Notes

AM and CW agree that small overlapping diamonds are more characteristic of east of Lake Michigan.

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

NMAI collection records.

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: 169148.000
Collection at Current Location: Barnard Collection
Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1/1/1930
Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: ca. 1930
Collection Narratives and Histories

W.C. Barnard collection

GKS Reference Number: 25161
Record Creation Notes/Observations

This record was created on site at NMAI by the GRASAC members listed below. Ann McMullen and Pat Nietfeld of NMAI supported the research onsite. Cory Willmott's research was funded by a grant from the American Philosophical Society. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provided Cory with an RA, Ceara Horsley, in Fall 2008 to work on GRASAC data entry. (CH)

Approximate Place of Origin

43.0703, -80.1184