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Pair of Puckered Moccasins

Arts of the Americas

The Jarvis Collection of Native American Plains Art

The articles in this case and the adjacent clothing case are some of the earliest and finest Eastern Plains pieces in existence. They were collected by Dr. Nathan Sturges Jarvis, a military surgeon stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, between 1833 and 1836. He purchased some of the objects, while some may have been given in exchange for his medical services. These works display indigenous people’s ingenuity in combining trade materials such as cloth, metal, and glass beads with traditional hides, red pipestone, and porcupine and bird quills.
CULTURE Eastern, Sioux
MEDIUM Smoked buckskin, deer skin, deer hair, porcupine quills, copper
DATES early 19th century
DIMENSIONS 4 x 11 in. (10.2 x 27.9 cm)  (show scale)
COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas
ACCESSION NUMBER 50.67.20a-b
CREDIT LINE Henry L. Batterman Fund and Frank Sherman Benson Fund
PROVENANCE Prior to 1848, provenance not yet documented; by 1848, acquired by Nathan Sturges Jarvis; 1848, gift of Nathan Sturges Jarvis to the New-York Historical Society, New York, NY; 1937, loaned by the New-York Historical Society to the Brooklyn Museum; 1950, purchased from the New-York Historical Society by the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Pair of moccasins constructed with smoked buckskin that is gathered into a series of small folds or "puckers" by seams running from the area above the toes to the area below the ankle. The seams are decorated by quillwork made up of orange lines and centered white and dark purple triangles crossed by a series of four additional linear designs. The seams of the heel are decorated in simple configured quillwork bands of white, light blue, and dark purple crosses. Cuffs are added onto the moccasins as separate semi-circular pieces of deerskin with quilled borders containing an undulating dark purple band and several straight lines. Metal cones, stuffed with dyed red deer hair are suspended from the edges of the cuffs.
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Eastern, Sioux. Pair of Puckered Moccasins, early 19th century. Smoked buckskin, deer skin, deer hair, porcupine quills, copper, 4 x 11 in. (10.2 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 50.67.20a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.20a-b_SL1.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 50.67.20a-b_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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