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Wallet
Wallet
Wallet
This relative is a sealskin wallet or purse, decorated with white and red glass beads and sinew. Traces of a red painted border and concentric circle motifs are visible inside the flap. Although the origins of this relative are not certain, it is believed to have been made by a Huron-Wendat or Lower St. Lawrence maker. It was collected by British Army officer Jasper Grant between 1800 and 1809 while he was stationed in Canada for his military service.
This relative currently resides in the National Museum of Ireland.
Read More About This Relative
sealskin; glass beads, white; red bead; sinew.
The inside of the flap shows traces of red ochre or vermillion border and two concentric circle motifs.
Old museum label: "POCKET-BOOK, DEERSKIL. CANA- / DIAN INDIAN--VICINITY OF LAKES / EERIE AND ONTARIO. (COLLECTED / ABOUT THE YEAR 1800.) / Given by R.J. Ussher, Esq. 330.-1902."
Jasper Grant served as commandant of Fort George in the Niagara Peninsula and of Fort Malden at Amherstburg opposite Detroit from 1800-1809.
Provenance
Jasper Grant (1762-1812), Anglo-Irish officer who spent 9 years in Canada between 1800-1809. Served as commandant of Fort George in the Niagara Peninsula and of Fort Malden at Amherstburg opposite Detroit. It is likely that his wife, Isabella Grant, played a significant role in the collection of items given her close relationship to Madeline Askin Richardson, the daughter of a prominent fur trader and merchant with extensive ties to the surrounding Indigenous communities.
GRASAC researcher notes from research trip to the National Museum of Ireland on July 21, 2010.
In 1984-1985 the Jasper Grant Collection was featured in a special travelling exhibition for the Ontario bicentennial, which was organized by the McMichael Canadian Collection and entitled "Patterns of Power."
Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, On.: McMichael Canadian Collection, 1984.
Philips, Ruth B. (1986-87). “Jasper Grant and Edward Walsh: the Gentleman-Soldier as Early Collector of Great Lakes Indian Art.” Journal of Canadian Studies 21(4): 56-71.
About This GRASAC Record
Maker, Name unrecorded. Wallet. GRASAC ID: 27081. National Museum of Ireland Collection, 1902.330.
This record is augmented by Dana Murray on November 26, 2024. It was informed by notes and photographs collected during a GRASAC research trip to the National Museum of Ireland on July 21, 2010. Participants included Alan Corbiere, Bhnens Corbiere, Crystal Migwans, Nikolaus Stolle, Rachel Hand, and Ruth Phillips, who were assisted by Padraig Clancy.
42.107, -83.1132
This information was informed by the following resource: Phillips, Ruth. Patterns of Power. Kleinburg, On.: Patterns of Power, 1984. Fort Malden is identified on the map as a possible origin for this relative, but this reflects only one place where the relative may have lived. It is not a known place of origin; it is only one location associated with where the collector, Jasper Grant, served in the British Army.