Materials

Cotton cloth, wool cloth, embroidery yarn, bead, paper, cotton thread.

Techniques or Format

Cut, sewn, beaded, embroidered.

Motifs and Patterns

Three areas of beadwork: (1) the front face is beaded in the couched stitch with crystal beads, Design consists of a bird perched on a branch, tube shaped crystal beads are used to accent bird's eye, legs, tail feather and leaf tips of coloured leaves (embroidered in alternating beads of crystal/opaque blue and crystal/translucent gold), Second floral spray occurs in right hand corner of design: leaves embroidered in alternating crystal/translucent green and crystal/translucent red beads, (2) Total circumference is beaded with interconnecting diagonally placed leaves, All leaves beaded with crystal beads with centre vein in light grey tube beads, Leaves positioned at four corners in translucent red and blue beads, diagonally match one another in colour, (3) Scalloped borders of pillow accented with alternating lines of crystal beads with overlaid diagonal lines occurring along sides and suspended loops of same hanging from each scalloped corner.

Original and Subsequent Uses

Example of range of souvenir art work produced in Great Lakes area, particularly by the Tuscarora who settled around Niagara Falls; The most prolific period of production was 1890-1910; Victorian style "raised" beadwork (couched stitch) was typically used to lavishly decorate a variety of objects - pin cushions, photo frames, trinket boxes, and whimsies constructed in numerous shapes: rosettes, squares, rectangles, hearts and high-heeled tasseled boots.

Dimensions: 29 × 29 × 8.5 cm

Condition: General wear, moth holes in woolen fabric, Loose bead strands, Sewn repairs on underside, Stained.

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

from catalogue records

Current Location: Manitoba Museum, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: H4-1-55

Link to Institution's Collections Database: https://manitobamuseum.ca/main/collections-research/collections-database/

Collection at Current Location: Cultural Anthropology Collection

Date of Acquisition by the Institution: 1986

Who the Institution Acquired the Relative or Heritage Item From: The Curiosity Shop, Winnipeg

Date Relative was First Removed or Collected from its Community Context: Mid 1980's

Source for Provenance information

from catalogue records

Sources to Learn More

Carlisle, Lilian Baker. "Beadwork Whimsies" Canadian Antiques Collector, 9, No. 2 (1974), pp. 43-44.

GKS Reference Number: 58795

How to Cite this Item

Manitoba Museum