The Valkyries were companions of the god Odin who descended onto battlefields to transport valiant slain warriors to Valhalla. My Valkyrie figure is based on a thumb-sized figurine discovered in Denmark at Hårby on Funen by metal detectorist Morten Skovsby in 2012. It is the only 3D representation of a Valkyrie ever found. The original figurine dates from about 800 AD. The Valkyrie is sturdily dressed, armed with a double-sided Viking sword and a round shield, her hair neatly twisted into a long ponytail forming a loop, suggesting it may have been worn as a pendant. My Valkyrie is 49 mm high by 14 mm wide and weighs one ounce. There is a 2 mm hole between the neck and hair so that she can be strung on a cord or into a strand of beads. GST is already included in the price on all Canadian orders.
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Today's post might be a bit confusing as we skip between cities, provinces and countries. First up we have the Kingdom of Cambodia (14 on the map). Next up we have the City of Jakarta (15 on the map) in the Republic of Indonesia. Then Malaysia (16 on the map) has separate Crowns for 9 of its 13 provinces and the City of Bangkok (17 on the map) houses the Palace and Crown of Thailand's King. Cambodia/Phnom Phen/Royal Palace (Not Displayed 1 crown) The Crown of Cambodia The cone shaped crown is of a typical style for a Buddhist monarchy. This is a modern copy of the original gold and gem encrusted crown that was lost during the Lon Nol Coup of 1970. Indonesia/Jakarta/National Museum (Permanent Display 1 crown) Crown of Sultan Syarif Kasim II This Muslim crown called a Mahkota was used by the last Sultan of Siak who joined his region to greater Indonesia in 1945. Malaysia has 9 provinces who have traditional Royal Families and displays of Crown Jewels. Every 2 years one of the provincial monarchs takes office as King of all Malaysia on a rotation basis. The Kingdom of Malaysia has a ceremonial headdress for its King as well. Malaysia/Kuala Lampur/Istana Negara Palace (1headdress) The Tengkolok Dijara or King's Headdress. Each of the 9 sultanates has its own crown/headdress kept in the royal palace of the respective state (Photo List incomplete). The Crown of the Sultan of Selangor The Headdress of the Sultan of Perak Crown of the Sultan of Johor The Crown of the Sultan of Kelantan Crown of the Sultan of Terengganu (No Photo) Sultan of Pehang (No Photo) Sultan of Perlis (No Photo) Sultan of Kedah (No Photo) Sultan of Negeri Sembilan Thailand/Bankok/Grand Palace (Permanent Display 2crowns) The Crown of Victory Buddhist regalia is blessed by the priesthood and thus considered as holy objects, to be worn by the semi divine Kings. This crown, made of gold and set with precious stones was worn by King Bumihbol of Thailand, for his coronation in the early 1950’s. Thailand also boasts a Prince's Crown. Crown Prince's Crown (All images on this blog are considered defaulted to the public domain due to age and ready sourcing from the internet. If an image on this blog is disputed it will be altered or removed following written protest from an authentic source. please contact me at [email protected])
I think this is the "straightest" line from north to south that our meridian has ever accomplished. We begin today with the small nation of Serbia (28 on the map) then we move up to Hungary (29 on the map) then Poland (30 on the map) and finally we drop south to the Central African Republic that had a small stint in the 70's as a European style Empire. Serbia/Belgrade/Historical Museum (Periodic Display of 1crown) Crown of Serbia 1901 With this piece, symbolism plays the main role. The crown was made in 1901 from bronze taken from a cannon used 100 years earlier in the Great Uprising. King Peter I was crowned on the anniversary to strengthen Serbian independence. Consisting mostly of enameled and gold plated bronze and set with a few stones, this crown has little intrinsic value but rather historic value. Hungary/Budapest/Parlaiment Buildings (Permanent Display 1crown) Crown of St.Stephen The Crown of St Stephen is considered to be one of the most holy of all the relic crowns of Europe. It is to this day believed in Hungary, and that if the crown was to either be destroyed or leave Hungarian soil, the country and its people would suffer total destruction. Also, no-one could claim sovereignty in Hungary without having total custody of the crown. For this reason the crown was vehemently pursued by Hitler during WW2 but it was so well hidden, that for years after the war its whereabouts were actually lost. This was considered to be the reason for the suffering, communism caused in those times. Controversy followed as reports of its whereabouts where eventually confirmed to be Fort Knox USA. It was eventually recovered and restored to the people of Hungary, where it is on display for them in the Parliament Building in Budapest, today. Ironically, or should we say, as providence would have it, the fall of communism and eventual economic growth has also returned to the beleaguered people of this ancient country. Hungary/Budapest/National Museum (Permanent Display 3crowns) Votive Crown of Nagyvarad Crown of St Margaret Crown of the Byzantine Emperor Monomachos http://home.hu.inter.net/~jekely/crown.htm Poland/Warsaw/National Museum (Permanent Display 1crowns, 1coronet) Crown of Augustus III Crown of Marie Josepha Poland/Plock/Plock Cathedral (Permanent Display 4crowns, 2 circlets) Crown of Boleslaw the Brave (replica) This Crown was reconstructed between 2001 and 2003 from detailed original drawings of the medieval Crown of Boleslaw and using gold coins believed to be minted from the gold of the former crown. It is set with a mixture of synthetic and genuine gem stones. http://www.replikiregaliowpl.com/galeria.php Crown of Kazimierza Wielkiego Crown of the Duke of Masovia also known as the Plock Diadem The Sroda Crown After being pawned by Charles Iv of Luxembourg to a Jew in Sroda in 1348, this crown was lost to history after the Plague visited the small town. It was rediscovered when an old building was demolished in 1885 revealing what has become known as the Sroda Treasure. Funerary Crown of Stefano Batorego Funerary Crown of Zygmunta Starego Central African Republic/Bangui/Location unknown (Not Displayed 1 Crown) Crown of Emperor Bokassa 1976 Made from gold and precious stones, this crowned formed the central feature of the farce of a coronation that cost so much it bankrupted an entire nation. The crown has as its focal point a diamond set in the central front panel. What is ironic is that the stone is not of gem quality and intrinsically worthless. It was however sold to the emperor at an exorbitant price because the natural formation of the rough stone looked vaguely like Africa. http://www.hubert-herald.nl/RCA.htm (All images on this blog are considered defaulted to the public domain due to age and ready sourcing from the internet. If an image on this blog is disputed it will be altered or removed following written protest from an authentic source. please contact me at [email protected])
I think this is the "straightest" line from north to south that our meridian has ever accomplished. We begin today with the small nation of Serbia (28 on the map) then we move up to Hungary (29 on the map) then Poland (30 on the map) and finally we drop south to the Central African Republic that had a small stint in the 70's as a European style Empire. Serbia/Belgrade/Historical Museum (Periodic Display of 1crown) Crown of Serbia 1901 With this piece, symbolism plays the main role. The crown was made in 1901 from bronze taken from a cannon used 100 years earlier in the Great Uprising. King Peter I was crowned on the anniversary to strengthen Serbian independence. Consisting mostly of enameled and gold plated bronze and set with a few stones, this crown has little intrinsic value but rather historic value. Hungary/Budapest/Parlaiment Buildings (Permanent Display 1crown) Crown of St.Stephen The Crown of St Stephen is considered to be one of the most holy of all the relic crowns of Europe. It is to this day believed in Hungary, and that if the crown was to either be destroyed or leave Hungarian soil, the country and its people would suffer total destruction. Also, no-one could claim sovereignty in Hungary without having total custody of the crown. For this reason the crown was vehemently pursued by Hitler during WW2 but it was so well hidden, that for years after the war its whereabouts were actually lost. This was considered to be the reason for the suffering, communism caused in those times. Controversy followed as reports of its whereabouts where eventually confirmed to be Fort Knox USA. It was eventually recovered and restored to the people of Hungary, where it is on display for them in the Parliament Building in Budapest, today. Ironically, or should we say, as providence would have it, the fall of communism and eventual economic growth has also returned to the beleaguered people of this ancient country. Hungary/Budapest/National Museum (Permanent Display 3crowns) Votive Crown of Nagyvarad Crown of St Margaret Crown of the Byzantine Emperor Monomachos http://home.hu.inter.net/~jekely/crown.htm Poland/Warsaw/National Museum (Permanent Display 1crowns, 1coronet) Crown of Augustus III Crown of Marie Josepha Poland/Plock/Plock Cathedral (Permanent Display 4crowns, 2 circlets) Crown of Boleslaw the Brave (replica) This Crown was reconstructed between 2001 and 2003 from detailed original drawings of the medieval Crown of Boleslaw and using gold coins believed to be minted from the gold of the former crown. It is set with a mixture of synthetic and genuine gem stones. http://www.replikiregaliowpl.com/galeria.php Crown of Kazimierza Wielkiego Crown of the Duke of Masovia also known as the Plock Diadem The Sroda Crown After being pawned by Charles Iv of Luxembourg to a Jew in Sroda in 1348, this crown was lost to history after the Plague visited the small town. It was rediscovered when an old building was demolished in 1885 revealing what has become known as the Sroda Treasure. Funerary Crown of Stefano Batorego Funerary Crown of Zygmunta Starego Central African Republic/Bangui/Location unknown (Not Displayed 1 Crown) Crown of Emperor Bokassa 1976 Made from gold and precious stones, this crowned formed the central feature of the farce of a coronation that cost so much it bankrupted an entire nation. The crown has as its focal point a diamond set in the central front panel. What is ironic is that the stone is not of gem quality and intrinsically worthless. It was however sold to the emperor at an exorbitant price because the natural formation of the rough stone looked vaguely like Africa. http://www.hubert-herald.nl/RCA.htm (All images on this blog are considered defaulted to the public domain due to age and ready sourcing from the internet. If an image on this blog is disputed it will be altered or removed following written protest from an authentic source. please contact me at [email protected])
Queen Puabi’s headdress, Ancient Sumeria, Early Dynastic III (2550-2450 BCE) Puabi (Akkadian: "Word of my father"), also called Shubad due to a misinterpretation by Sir Charles Leonard Woolley, was an...
Incredible Paper Couture by Isabelle de Borchgrave. Historical and elaborate haute couture fashions are crafted of painted paper!
В этой статье мы хотим познакомить вас с красивой и необычной скульптурной группой периода классической готики. Это статуи дев мудрых и неразумных из собора св. Маврикия и св. Екатерины в Магдебурге (Германия). Эти не самые типичные готические скульптуры интересны необычайно эмоциональной мимикой…
1. Europe’s First Underwater Restaurant At the tip of Norway, beneath the icy waters of the North Atlantic in Lindesnes, Under is a restaurant five and a half meters below the surface in Norway, exposing you to the wonders beneath the sea. 2. A Perfect New Life in Newfound
This post will be the longest post to date, just for the fact of dealing with Sweden and Austria in one go. As we said earlier, Europe provides us with the greatest concentration of crowns in the world and as our meridian cuts west ward we cover several of the small countries in Europe while dealing with the larger ones. We begin with a very small exhibit in Croatia (32 on the map). Then to Austria for one of the most historically important and extensive collection of crowns (33 on the map). The Czech Republic has on of the most fairy tale like crowns in the world with accompanying history (34 on the map). Stockholm in Sweden house the largest complete collection of Crowns in Europe (35 on the map). Then we finally also backtrack slightly to Finland (36 on the map) as I forgot to add it to my previous post.. Croatia/Zvico Bacic/Sacred Art Expo (Permanent Display 1crown) Crown of Zadar http://home.hu.inter.net/~jekely/crown.htm Austria/Vienna/Shatzkammer Hofburg (Permanent Display 3 crowns, 1circlet, 1empty frame) Imperial Crown of Charlemagne The crown of the Holy Roman emperors, called the crown of Charlemagne, is the oldest in Germany. It is imbued with legendary, even esoteric mystique and no-one could claim legitimate rulership without being crowned with it. To this day legend has it, that he who owns it will rule all Europe. It was pursued by Hitler and Napoleon desired to be crowned with it but the custodians of the crown kept it hidden. It is a splendid example of early medieval craftsmanship and style, with strong religious symbology and many precious stones. Imperial Crown of Rudolf II In later years the Holy Roman empire was all but dissolved except in name. This name eventually fell under the Austrian Empire. The crown made for Emperor Rudolph II is a grandiose testimony of this highly eccentric and artistic man, as well as of the height of the renaissance civilization at his court in Vienna. Like its Russian Imperial counterpart it is also a miter type crown. This one is however clearly not Russian but decidedly Teutonic. Crown of Duke Stephan Boskcais This crown is commonly referred to as the Crown of Transylvania and could have served as such albeit for a short time. Arch Ducal Hat of Joseph II (empty frame) This crown would constitute the Crown of the Heir Apparent for the Imperial throne of Austria. It is today, merely and empty frame. Austria/Klosterneuburg/Klosterneuburg Abbey (Permanent Display 1crown) Arch Ducal Hat 1616 In Austria, the royal Princes were called Archdukes. This is a surviving crown used by a person of that rank. Austria/Graz/Joanneum Museum (Permanent Display 1crown) Arch Ducal Hat of Styria 15th Century Austria/Tirol/Mariastein Church (Permanent Display 1crown) Arch Ducal Hat (replica) Austria/Vienna/ Kunsthistoriches Museum (Permanent Display 1crown) The Crown/Helmet of Skanderberg This is the official coronation crown and crown of state for the small country of Albania that used to be an independant kingdom. Czeque Republic/Prague/St Vitus Cathedral ( Periodic Display of 1crown) Crown of St Wencelas 14th Century Of extreme, beauty and set with many precious stones, the Crown of St. Wencelas is revered as a true relic. Said to contain a piece of the crown of thorns in the cross at the apex of the crown, it is kept in the ancient vaults of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. It is rarely displayed for the public and then only for special occasions. Seven keys are required to unlock the special vault containing the crown. These keys are dispersed among; the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Archbishop of Prague, the Chairman of the House of Deputies, the Chairman of the Senate, the Dean of the Metropolitan Chapter of St. Vitus Cathedral and the Mayor of Prague. Czech Republic/Prague/Prague Castle (Permanent Display 1 crown) Funerary Crown of Ottokar II Sweden/Stockholm/Royal Palace (Permanent Display 10crowns, 1coronet) The Royal Crown of the Kings of Sweden 1560 In most countries with reigning royal families, the crown jewels in essence, are owned by posterity and the state and reserved solely for the use of the royal family. Sweden is an exception, in that the royal regalia and all other jewels are the private property of the King and held in the Bernadotte Trust for the future generations The Queen Consort's Crown Extreme intricate workmanship gives the crown of Queen Maria Eleonora its purposefully intended sparkle. This Queen who ruled in her own right, knew how to impress as is evident by this spectacular crown. It is considered the official crown to be used by the Consort Queens even though in modern times the Swedish Royal family do not wear the crowns but they are merely displayed at high state functions. The Crown for the Hereditary Prince of Sweden displays a single silver wheat sheaf on the front. This is the symbol for the princes of Sweden. A small "Queen Victoria style" coronet made for the use of a queen. The crown of Prince Frederick Adolf 1771 The crown of Prince Carl 1771 The crown of Prince Oskar 1844 The crown of Prince Wilhelm 1902 The crown of Princess Eugenia 1860 The crown of Princess Hedvig Elisabet Charlotta 1778 The crown of Princess Sophia Albertina 1771 http://www.kungahuset.se/monarkin/kungligasymboler/riksregalierna.4.7c4768101a4e888378000989.html Sweden/Strangnas/Strangnas Cathedral (Permanent Display 1crown) Crown of King Eric IX Sweden/Uppsala/Uppsala Cathedral Museum (Permanent Display of 6funerary crowns) Funerary Crown of King Johan III Funerary Crown of Gustav Vasa Funerary Crown Funerary Crowns Funerary Crown made from silver wire and pearls Sweden/Stockholm/State Historical Museum (Permanent Display 1relic crown, 1 medieval circlet) Crown of St.Elizabeth Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, donated two crowns to be reworked in forming a crown/lid for the holy reliquary of St Elizabeth. This was the result. Early Medieval Circlet from a Royal Lady's burial vault Finland/Kemi/Gemstone Gallery (Permanent Display 1crown) Crown of Finland In 1918 a crown was planned and designs were drawn up for the proposed King of Finland. However, the political situation changed before the new crown could be manufactured for the coronation of independent Finland's first monarch. By the end of 1918 the uncrowned monarch had abdicated and Finland instead adopted a republican constitution. In the 1990's the original designs were used to create the crown made of silver gilt and decorated with the arms in enamel of the various provinces of the country. Two arches rise from the base and is not topped by an Orb and Cross like in most European crowns, but rather a gold rampant lion as found in the Coat of Arms of Finland. Strictly speaking this crown cannot be seen as a replica as the original was never made. Thus it could be referred to as a belated genuine crown but one that will sadly never be used officially. (All images on this blog are considered defaulted to the public domain due to age and ready sourcing from the internet. If an image on this blog is disputed it will be altered or removed following written protest from an authentic source. please contact me at [email protected])
I created this pattern by pulling research together from several sources (along with customer requests!). I studied a Spencer jacket in the D.A.R. Museum collection and one at the Valentine. I also drew from Janet Arnold’s wonderful Patterns of Fashion.
Seventeenth-Century Jewelryy by Schmidt Published in Le Costume Historique, Volume V, 1888 Giclee Print. Find art you love and shop high-quality art prints, photographs, framed artworks and posters at Art.com. 100% satisfaction guaranteed.
Hubert van Eyck - Genter Altar, Altar des Mystischen Lammes, obere mittlere Haupttafel, Szene: Thronender Gottvater, Detail: Krone und Gewand - vor 1426-1 - Öl auf Holz - Gent - Kathedrale St. Bavo - Niederlande - Altniederländische Malerei Motivgrösse: ca. 48 x 34 cm
A Window into the Mysterious World of the 17th Century One of the most over-looked time periods in European and budding American history is the Cavalier and Puritan era– the 17th Century̵…
The Wabanaki are the “People of the Dawn” or the “Dawn Land People,” the name they called themselves. Traditionally, subsistence for the Wabanaki was based on hunting and gathering. After European settlement and the eighteenth-century wars between the French and English, they were forced to settle on reservations. The rapid growth of non-Indian settlements during the early nineteenth century also placed substantial pressure on the Wabanaki. This compelled Native communities to devise a new survival strategy. Making wood splint baskets is perhaps the oldest native craft produced by the tribes in this region and images of the Wabanaki and their baskets appear in paintings and prints from as far back as the eighteenth century. Willoughby reports that the earliest explorers and settlers of New England make no mention of splint baskets among the native population, though at least eight other varieties are mentioned (Willoughby 1905:85). Ruth Holmes Whitehead writes that Splint baskets, too, are apparently a European introduction, first taken up as a commercial product in the late eighteenth century… [Furthermore] there are no surviving precontact basket fragments in wood splints, and they are not mentioned in any seventeenth-century source (Whitehead 2001: 292-293). The depletion of game on the reservations became a turning point as the men had to find other means of providing for their families. By the nineteenth century, some had become lumberjacks and worked on the big river drives. Others hired themselves out as guides and untold numbers worked in the lumber mills or in shoe factories. Since the seventeenth century, the sale of small, decorative items had been a limited source of revenue for Indian women but as interaction with European settlers increased, they developed a new line of native arts and crafts that became a significant source of income for many Indian households. Baskets comprised the greatest percentage of this trade (figure 1). Figure 1 – Real Photo Post Card (RPPC) of Mi’kmaq chief Noel and his wife. Between them is a display of their baskets. 3.5 inches high by 5.5 inches wide. Circa 1910. Some Wabanaki became quite nomadic in their pursuit of a living from their crafts while others used Indian middlemen to sell their work. As early as 1827, it was reported that a group of Passamaquoddy’s were camped at the Battery in New York City selling their “domestic manufactures” (Source: American Advocate, July 21, 1827). In 1833, John W. Johnson, a three year old white settler’s child from Hollis, Maine, was kidnapped by a family of Mi’kmaq. He quickly adopted their lifestyle and spent most of his life among the Wabanaki. In 1861, he published an account of his life as an Indian. His narrative attests to the itinerant life style of many members of the culture he came to embrace (Johnson 1861). In the winter of 1840 Johnson travelled to Prince Edward Island with his Mi’kmaq family to sell baskets and fancy articles to sailors who docked in the seaside ports. In the summer of 1846 he was on Cape Breton Island for the winter making baskets and fancy boxes decorated with porcupine quills, which his family sold from $1 to $15 each, depending on how elaborately decorated they were. In March of the following year, he managed to obtain passage on a steamer to Boston where he took up residence in a boarding house. On some days he would set up his display of baskets on the Boston Common and offered his wares to anyone who was interested. At other times he sold them by going from house to house. From Boston he travelled to New Bedford and Fall River, Massachusetts then to Providence, Rhode Island, and eventually to New York, where he disposed of the balance of his stock. And so went his life. When he ran out of inventory he would catch a steamer back to Halifax where he acquired more fancy work from his brethren to sell in the markets he had developed along the east coast. In 1848, he met an Old Town, Maine, Penobscot by the name of Frank Loring or “Big Frank,” aka “Big Thunder” as he was customarily known (figure 2). Loring acted as an agent for a travelling company of Indian entertainers. When John Johnson was in Old Town, he procured some Indian outfits and proceeded to New York where he traveled about for a time with Big Frank, performing in his Indian theatrical group. Figure 2 – Printed Post Card of Frank Loring, aka “Big Frank” or “Big Thunder,” a Penobscot chief and showman. 5.5 inches high by 3.5 inches wide. Circa 1912. Old Town, Maine. Perhaps in response to the nineteenth-century timber industry, which brought about a deferential change in the traditional lifestyle of the Penobscot, many Wabanaki were unwilling or unable to settle down as farmers or work in the lumber mills. So a transient lifestyle as entertainers or as artisans, making and selling baskets and other wood derived crafts became a viable alternative. Resort areas in Vermont and New Hampshire were frequent destinations for these Algonquian speakers seeking outlets for their baskets and other souvenir items. The Passamaquoddy and Penobscot from Maine frequently travelled to resort destinations to sell their work (figure 3). In this circa 1870 stereoview by C. A. Paul of Skowhegan, Maine, a group of Indians can be seen camped at the foot of Mt. Kineo, on Moosehead Lake. The image is rich with examples of early fancy baskets, birch bark canoe models and several bark containers. Figure 3 – One panel from a stereo view depicting a group of Wabanaki basket makers camped at the foot of Mt. Kineo, on Moosehead Lake, Piscataquis County, Maine. Photographer: C.A. Paul of Skowhegan, Maine. Numerous baskets, model canoes, bark containers and other souvenir items can be seen in the image Other groups of Abenaki were selling their baskets throughout the resort areas in the White Mountains and in Vermont (figure 4). By the end of the nineteenth century, A few families among the Abenakis of St. Francis still hunted at this time, though game was becoming increasingly scarce. Their principal industry was basket-making and fancy work. They worked at handicrafts all winter and in June most of the families went to sell their wares at various summer resorts in the United States, especially along the Atlantic coast and in the White Mountains (figure 5). Around the turn of the century they lost the long standing privilege of carrying their wares to the United States duty-free and this removed their most profitable market. Around the same time the establishment of a National Park in their area brought about restrictions of hunting and fishing and the Indians had to turn more attention to agriculture (Department of Indian Affairs 1967:20). Figure 4 – Two printed post cards of a group of Abenakis selling their handicrafts in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. 3.5 inches high by 5.5 inches wide. Circa 1910. Figure 5 – Carte-de-Visite titled: Indian Camp at Franconia (New Hampshire). 4 inches high by 2.5 inches wide. Circa 1860s. Possibly a group of Abenakis. Numerous baskets can be seen on the table. It’s unclear if the western Abenaki were involved in making and selling souvenir beadwork during the nineteenth century such as bags, hats and what are generally referred to as whimsies. Baskets, birch bark canoe models, bark containers and other wood derived items appear to have been the mainstay of their commoditized crafts. In a rare handbill, pasted to the inside cover of a book on the Abenaki and English language, is an advertisement for the handicrafts that the Abenaki had for sale in the summer of 1893 (figure 6). Figure 6 – A rare handbill advertising hand-made Abenaki Indian wares in Intervale, New Hampshire. 6 inches high by 4 inches wide. Circa 1893. Their eastern relatives in Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia did produce beadwork for the souvenir trade as well as for personal use. The beadwork the Wabanaki made for themselves varied over time. [They] gave their textiles and costumes, in particular, more exuberant ornamentation than other Northeastern groups. It would have distinguished them at formal gathering. For example, Micmacs used a particular T-shaped element; Maliseet double curves often had tightly coiled terminals; Penobscot examples often included a stepped design; and both Penobscot and Passamaquoddy beadwork sometimes used a motif of contiguous lozenges possibly derived from the Ottawa… These ethnic markers would be readily identifiable to the members of many tribes who attended diplomatic gatherings … or the grand council fire (Bourque and Labar 2009:82-83). Figure 7 – Beaded Bags, Wabanaki type, vase or inverted keyhole shape. Glass beads, black velvet fabric, various materials used for the edge binding. The bag in the center is 6.2 inches high by 5.2 inches wide. Wabanaki commoditized beadwork had features that varied from those seen on Iroquois work. Beaded bags for instance, were often in the shape of a vase or an inverted keyhole (figure 7), though there are variations to this (figure 8a and 8b). The flowers and leaf patterns on the vase shaped bags are stylistically distinctive. Many of the flowers are daisy-like and can have as many as fifteen petals or as few as five and they usually have squared-off or gently rounded ends (figure 9). There doesn’t appear to be as many of these bags as the Haudenosaunee examples, perhaps because the Wabanaki were more involved in the basket trade. Figure 8a – Beaded Bag, Wabanaki type. Glass beads, red wool broadcloth, green silk edge binding. 5.7 inches high by 5.5 inches wide. Second half of the nineteenth century. The bag outline is a variation of the vase or inverted keyhole shape. Figure 8b – Beaded Bag, Wabanaki type. Glass beads, red wool broadcloth band, red velvet extended top with drawstring, deer hide lining. 6 inches high by 5.5 inches wide. Second half of the nineteenth century. The leaf patterns on Wabanaki bags are often in the shape of a heart or ovate and usually fully beaded (figure 10). Like the Iroquois, the Wabanaki also incorporated paper patterns upon which their flower and leaf designs were beaded. The main stem of the floral design often rises from the center base of the bag in a flat bundle of beads, each string of which connects to a flower or leaf. These stems occasionally had bi-lobed or tri-lobed buds or ears connected to them (figures 9 & 10). Generally, this style of Wabanaki bag didn’t have a two-bead or zippered edging along the outside. Figure 9 – Detail view illustrating some of the unique design elements found on Wabanaki beaded bags. Figure 10 – Beaded Bag, Wabanaki type, inverted keyhole shape. Glass beads, black velvet fabric, brown velvet edge binding. 6.75 inches high by 5.75 inches wide. Third quarter of the nineteenth century. A beautiful example with a thistle design and examples of heart-shaped leaves. Jennifer Neptune, a Penobscot artist, points out that some of the repeated motifs seen on early souvenir bags were meant to convey a message about the individual or group identity of those who created them. I see medicine plants in the designs, and it’s obvious to me that people were beading designs of plants that were highly valued to themselves, their families, and their tribe. When I look at the floral designs I see plants that ease childbirth, break fevers, soothe coughs and colds, take away pain, heal cuts, burns, and bruises, and maintain general health.… A hundred years ago plants were the main source of medicine for Natives as well as non-Natives. With the knowledge and importance of these plants in our culture beadworkers needed to look no further than their own backyards for their own floral designs. A hundred years later these same plants are still in our backyards, are still being used for healing, and are still being used to inspire our beadwork designs (Faulkner, Prince & Neptune 1998:41). A rare and beautiful example of Wabanaki beadwork is a bag with a large sun motif as the focal point of the design (figure 11). This piece incorporates a limited color palette, suggesting an earlier date. The other side of the bag has three symmetrically placed daisy-like flowers with 12 petals, each connected to the center base of the bag by a single string of white beads. Some of the floral elements along the stem and at the top are suggestive of the double-curve motif. Figure 11 – Beaded Bag, Wabanaki type, inverted keyhole shape (both sides shown). Glass beads, black velvet fabric, silk ribbon edge binding and carrying strap, cotton lining. 6.2 inches high by 5.2 inches wide. Circa 1850. The tassel is made entirely of faceted metal beads and may not be original to the bag but it could have been added by the original owner. The vast majority of these bags are identified as Maliseet and occasionally they are assigned to the Passamaquoddy or the Mi’kmaq. Rarely is this style clearly attributed to the Penobscot. Images of people wearing vase or inverted keyhole-shaped bags are also quite rare (figure 12). Figure 12 – Daguerreotype, 3.3 inches high by 2.3 inches wide. Mid 1850s. A young girl with what might be a Wabanaki bag in the inverted keyhole or vase shape. Two rare examples of a Mi’kmaq bag are illustrated in figure 13. So few of these exist that just a single beadworker may have made them. The contour on one is similar to the Haudenosaunee hexagonal shape, but the sides on this example are curved rather than segmented. The internal designs are also much more symmetrical and curvilinear than those seen on Haudenosaunee work. Both of these bags are beaded onto red wool serge, of the type generally seen on Canadian military uniforms, and the beads on both are strung with horsehair. A similar bag is illustrated in The Micmac Indians of Eastern Canada by Wallace and Wallace, page 82. It’s pictured alongside other articles of traditional Mi’kmaq dress attire, such as beaded trousers, moccasin vamps, epaulets, and women’s caps. Perhaps so few of these exist because they were made for personal use and not to be sold as souvenirs. Figure 13 – Beaded Bags, Mi’kmaq type. Glass beads sewn onto red wool serge of the type seen on Canadian military uniforms. The bag with the metal frame (both sides shown), is 6 inches high by 6 inches wide. The other bag (both sides shown) is 5.75 inches high by 6.125 inches wide and it once had a blue silk ribbon edge binding. Both are circa 1840s. The beads on both bags are strung on horsehair. The similarity of the curvilinear designs, bead colors and construction methods suggest that both were made by the same artist. The bag without the metal frame is from the collection of Richard Green. A very rare Mi’kmaq bag (figure 14) was found with the following old note: “The work of Molly Muise wife of Governor of the Mic Mac Tribe in Annapolis”. She is reputed to have lived to a great age and was so respected by her white neighbors that they erected a tombstone in her memory. She was born in Digby County, Nova Scotia, sometime in the third quarter of the eighteenth century and lived on the Bear River Indian Reserve, so this bag could date to the late eighteenth or the early nineteenth-century. A mid-nineteenth-century tintype of her in the Nova Scotia Museum is believed to be the earliest portrait of a Mi’kmaq woman by a photographic process (figure 15). Figure 14 – Beaded bag, early Mi’kmaq type. Glass beads, three red wool broadcloth panels, three black velvet panels (both sides shown). Green silk sides and extended top. Cotton lining. 7.25 inches high by 5 inches wide by 2.75 inches thick. Circa 1800. A very rare and early Native made drawstring reticule. Figure 15 – Tintype of Molly Muise. Mid-nineteenth century. From the collection of the Nova Scotia Museum. Like the Haudenosaunee, the Wabanaki had favorite venues for selling their work. In a classic turn-of-the-century postcard titled “Indians on the Reservation near Fredericton, New Brunswick” (figure 16) a group of what were likely Maliseet were standing by the edge of the St. John River. The wide panel along the bottom of the woman’s dress was beautifully beaded with floral motifs that are very similar to those on the Wabanaki bag in figure 17. Figure 16 – A circa 1880 image printed on a circa 1913 post card titled: “Indians on the Reservation near Fredericton, N. B.” 3.5 inches wide by 5.5 inches high. The original photo was taken during a St. Anne’s Day celebration at Kingsclear, New Brunswick. Likely a group of Maliseet. Photographer: William Taylor of Fredericton. Figure 17 – Beaded Bag, Wabanaki type, inverted keyhole shape, possibly Maliseet. Glass beads, black velvet fabric, silk ribbon edge binding, cotton lining. 6.3 inches high by 5.2 inches wide. The second half of the nineteenth century. The floral motifs on this bag are quite similar to those along the bottom panel of the woman’s dress in figure 16. Fredericton, New Brunswick, was likely one of those centers where beadwork flourished. It was the Provincial capital and would have been a destination for travelers. Located on the St. John’s River, a transportation lifeline on an early fur-trade route, it attracted many people to its fertile shores. For hundreds of years the Maliseet would seasonally hunt, fish and grow corn and squash along its banks. They established a permanent settlement there in 1847. The St. Mary’s Indian Band of Maliseet and the Kingsclear First Nations Band are still located nearby. On Prince Edward Island, Mi’kmaq basketmakers often travelled to the mainland for their basket material as it was in limited supply locally. The accessibility of beads may account, in part, for the regional development of beadwork. Beading supplies were likely more available in or near the larger cities. For those not willing or able to travel, basketmaking was perhaps a better alternative, especially if basketmaking supplies could be harvested nearby. Follow this link to Part 2 If you have an interest in Northeast Woodland beadwork you might find my book of interest. Titled: A Cherished Curiosity: TheSouvenir Beaded Bag in Historic Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Art by GerryBiron. Published in 2012. This is a brand new, hard cover book with dust jacket. 184 pages and profusely illustrated. 8.5 x 11 inches. ISBN 978-0-9785414-1-5. Since the early nineteenth century, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) beaded bags have been admired and cherished by travelers to Niagara Falls and other tourist destinations for their aesthetic beauty, detailed artistry, and the creative spirit of their makers. A long neglected and misunderstood area of American Indian artistry, "souvenir" art as it's come to be called, played a crucial role in the subsistence of many Indian families during the nineteenth century. This lavishly illustrated history examines these bags – the most extensively produced dress accessory made by the Haudenosaunee – along with the historical development of beadworking both as an art form and as a subsistence practice for Native women. In this book, the beadwork is considered in the context of art, fashion, and the tourist economy of the nineteenth century. Illustrated with over one hundred and fifty of the most important – and exquisite – examples of these bags, along with a unique collection of historical photographs of the bags in their original context, this book provides essential reading for collectors and researchers of this little understood area of American Indian art. References Cited in Part 1 & 2 Bourque, Bruce J and Labar, Laureen A. 2009 Uncommon Threads: Wabanaki Textiles, Clothing, and Costume. Maine State Museum in association with University of Washington Press. Seattle and London Department of Indian Affairs 1967 Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development – Indians of Quebec and the Maritime Provinces (An Historical Review). Published by the DIA, Indian Affairs Branch, Ottawa , Canada Eckstorm, Fannie Hardy [1932] 1980 The Handicrafts of the Modern Indians of Maine, published by Robert Abbe Museum, Bar Harbor, Maine. Printed by Jordan – Frost Printing Co., Bangor, Maine. Faulkner, Gretchen Fearon & Prince, Nancy & Sapiel, Jennifer 1998 Beautifully Beaded: Northeastern Native American Beadwork in American Indian Art Magazine, Volume 24, Number 1, Winter edition. Johnson, John W. 1861 Life of John W. Johnson who was Stolen by the Indians when three years of age, and identified by his father twenty years afterwards. Related by himself. Biddeford, Maine. Speck, Frank 1927 Symbolism in Penobscot Art. Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History. Volume XXIX, Part II. Published by the American Museum of Natural History, New York City. Wallace, Wilson D. and Wallace, Ruth Sawtell 1955 The Micmac Indians of Eastern Canada – University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. Whitehead, Ruth Holmes 2001 The Traditional Material Culture of the Native Peoples of Maine in Bruce Bourque, Twelve Thousand Years: Native Americans in Maine. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. Willoughby, Charles C. 1905 Textile Fabrics of the New England Indians, in American Anthropologist, New Series, Volume 7, F. W. Hodge, Editor, Lancaster, PA.
The typical three-lobed figure as it often appears incorporated in-to the double-curve in Micmac beadwork.
Diamond stars worn in the hair or pinned on the bodice were made fashionable by the Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary in the late 19th ...
I’ve been a collector since I was a kid. I’m not sure what motivates a child to start collecting; maybe it’s in our DNA. But I started collecting coins and stamps when I was still in grade school and by the time I entered high school, I was collecting vintage matchbooks, postcards, old cameras and photographs. The coins, stamps, cameras and old matchbooks have long found new homes but my lifelong obsession with old photographs continues. My interest in Northeast Woodland beadwork has focused my collecting interest in the photographs and recently I found a very rare image that I would like to share with you (figure 1). Figure 1 - Carte-de-visit (CDV) of a young woman dressed in Wabanaki beadwork and wearing a Wabanaki beaded bag. From the 1860s. Photographer: M. G. Trask, Bangor, Maine. Figure 1 detail. Figure 1, bag detail. I’m not sure if the subject is Wabanaki but her accouterments certainly are. Of particular interest to me in the photograph is the beaded bag the subject is wearing. In all the years I’ve spent collecting these old images, this is the only one I have found where the subject is, without doubt, wearing a Wabanaki beaded bag. In comparison, I have seen a hundred or more images where the subject was wearing an Iroquois beaded bag. Over the years, I’ve seen many examples of Wabanaki bags in this style, often described as being vase shaped or in the shape of an inverted keyhole, and most were dated from about the 1870s to as late as 1900. This photograph is from the 1860s which indicates that they were being made at an earlier date. Stylistically, the bag is well-developed, so this form could have originated even earlier. This is only one style of Wabanaki beaded bag and other styles exists. Whether this represents the community or family they were from or is a style particular to the maker is unknown but the flowers and leaf patterns on the vase shaped bags are stylistically distinctive. Many of the flowers are daisy-like and can have as many as fifteen petals or as few as five and they usually have squared-off or gently rounded ends (figure 2). Figure 2 The leaf patterns on Wabanaki bags are often in the shape of a heart or ovate and usually fully beaded. Like the Iroquois, the Wabanaki also incorporated paper patterns over which their flower and leaf designs were beaded. The main stem of the floral design often rises from the center base of the bag in a flat bundle of beads, each string of which connects to a flower or leaf. These stems occasionally had bi-lobed or tri-lobed buds or ears connected to them. Generally, this style of Wabanaki bag didn’t have a two-bead or zippered edging along the outside, although they are sometimes seen with a beaded fringe like the one in the photograph. Raised beadwork is a technique of beading that is generally associated with both the Tuscaroras and the Mohawks. The high style of raised beadwork employed by the Mohawks appears both on bags and other items of fanciful beadwork. It doesn’t appear in Haudenosaunee beadwork until the mid-nineteenth century. Interestingly, some of the Wabanaki bags in this style incorporate a type of raised beadwork. Some Wabanaki examples I have studied have a definite arch to the beads that was brought about by adding padding beneath the paper patterns (figures 3 and 4) and this technique is evident on many examples of 19th century Wabanaki beadwork. Figure 3 - Example of a Wabanaki beaded bag with a form of raised beadwork Detail of the bag in figure 3. Figure 4 - Another example of a Wabanaki beaded bag with raised beadwork. Detail of the bag in figure 4. In comparison, some Tuscarora examples that employ a spiral weave, achieve this raised beadwork effect by beading over a single string of beads (see figures 5a-c). Figure 5a, showing a method of achieve raised beadwork in Tuscarora work. Figure 5a Figure 5b. It has been reported in the literature that raised beadwork is not exclusive to the Iroquois as it has also been observed in the beadwork of Algonquian Speaking tribes from Southern New England. Examples of late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century beadwork of the Mohegan and Niantic also employ a type of raised beadwork. See: Decorative Art of the Indian Tribes of Connecticut by Frank Speck, Canada Department of Mines, Memoir 75, Ottawa, 1915 and Beads and Beadwork of the American Indians by William Orchard [1929] 1975:Pl. XXXVII. It’s also been found on the work of the Montauk from Long Island and a form of raised beadwork has been identified on some Wabanaki beaded bags and hats from the second half of the nineteenth century. There was also a form of raised Berlin Work that was popular in Europe and America at the time the Iroquois were developing their own raised beadwork (Hartley 1859:87). What follows is a representative sample of bags in the vase or inverted keyhole shape that illustrates the variability within this particular style. All of these date to the second half of the 19th century. If you have an interest in Northeast Woodland beadwork you might find my book of interest. Titled: A Cherished Curiosity: TheSouvenir Beaded Bag in Historic Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Art by GerryBiron. Published in 2012. This is a brand new, hard cover book with dust jacket. 184 pages and profusely illustrated. 8.5 x 11 inches. ISBN 978-0-9785414-1-5. Since the early nineteenth century, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) beaded bags have been admired and cherished by travelers to Niagara Falls and other tourist destinations for their aesthetic beauty, detailed artistry, and the creative spirit of their makers. A long neglected and misunderstood area of American Indian artistry, "souvenir" art as it's come to be called, played a crucial role in the subsistence of many Indian families during the nineteenth century. This lavishly illustrated history examines these bags – the most extensively produced dress accessory made by the Haudenosaunee – along with the historical development of beadworking both as an art form and as a subsistence practice for Native women. In this book, the beadwork is considered in the context of art, fashion, and the tourist economy of the nineteenth century. Illustrated with over one hundred and fifty of the most important – and exquisite – examples of these bags, along with a unique collection of historical photographs of the bags in their original context, this book provides essential reading for collectors and researchers of this little understood area of American Indian art. References Cited: Hartley, Florence 1859 Ladies Handbook of Fancy and Ornamental Work Comprising Directions and Patterns for Working in Appliqué, Bead Work, Braiding, Canvass Work, Knitting, Netting, Tatting, Worsted Work, Quilting, Patchwork, & c. & c. Illustrated with 262 engravings. John E. Potter, Publisher, Philadelphia.
