Skip Navigation

Pair of Moccasins

Arts of the Americas

The Jarvis Collection

Many of the articles in this case (and the adjacent clothing case), some of the earliest and finest Eastern Plains pieces in existence, were collected by Dr. Nathan Sturges Jarvis, a military surgeon stationed at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, between 1833 and 1836. Most items were made by the Eastern and Middle Dakota (Sioux) or by the peoples of the Red River region, including the Red River Métis, Anishinabe, Plains Cree, and Salteaux. Some of the objects were purchased by Jarvis, and some may have been given to him in exchange for his medical services.

These works demonstrate indigenous ingenuity in combining trade materials such as cloth, metal, and glass beads with traditional hides, pipestone, and porcupine and bird quills. For comparison, a few examples collected later by Nathan Jarvis, Jr., during his army service in the Western Territories among the Apache and other Plains peoples are also included. These items clearly show the later indigenous preference for multicolored glass trade beads.
MEDIUM Hide, glass beads
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS
DATES 19th century
DIMENSIONS 4 x 3 3/4 x 9 1/2 in. (10.2 x 9.5 x 24.1 cm)  (show scale)
COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas
ACCESSION NUMBER 50.67.19a-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 made of hide with beaded geometric designs in green, yellow and white. There are two beaded cross motifs (possibly a star) on the vamp of each moccasin. The triangular design down the front might indicate deer hoof, rope, person, rope deer hoof or buffalo hoof. The sinuous beading along the side may indicate pathways. Note: design signification cannot be definitely determined as abstract designs can mean different things according to each maker. The cuff of each moccasin has been cut into points. Condition fair. Beadwork stable. Cuffs are slightly stiff.
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Possibly Tsuut'ina. Pair of Moccasins, 19th century. Hide, glass beads, 4 x 3 3/4 x 9 1/2 in. (10.2 x 9.5 x 24.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 50.67.19a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.19a-b.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 50.67.19a-b.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2005
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
Possibly Tsuut'ina. <em>Pair of Moccasins</em>, 19th century. Hide, glass beads, 4 x 3 3/4 x 9 1/2 in. (10.2 x 9.5 x 24.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 50.67.19a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.19a-b.jpg)