Mi'kmaq. <em>Quilled Chair Seat and Back</em>, 19th century. Porcupine quills, birchbark, Back: 15 1/2 × 9 3/4 × 1/4 in. (39.4 × 24.7 × 0.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Collection, 09.867a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 09.867a-b_PS11.jpg)

Mi'kmaq. Quilled Chair Seat and Back, 19th century. Porcupine quills, birchbark, Back: 15 1/2 × 9 3/4 × 1/4 in. (39.4 × 24.7 × 0.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Collection, 09.867a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 09.867a-b_PS11.jpg)

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Quilled Chair Seat and Back

Arts of the Americas

On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Several Seats

CULTURE Mi'kmaq

MEDIUM Porcupine quills, birchbark

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS

Possible place made: Nova Scotia, Canada
Possible place made: New Brunswick, Canada
Possible place made: Maine, United States
Possible place made: Newfoundland, Canada

DATES 19th century

DIMENSIONS Back: 15 1/2 × 9 3/4 × 1/4 in. (39.4 × 24.7 × 0.6 cm) Seat: 12 13/16 × 14 3/16 × 1/4 in. (32.5 × 36 × 0.6 cm) mount: 16 1/2 × 14 1/4 × 13 3/4 in. (41.9 × 36.2 × 34.9 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas

ACCESSION NUMBER 09.867a-b

CREDIT LINE Brooklyn Museum Collection

PROVENANCE Prior to 1996, acquired by the Brooklyn Museum, acquisition method not yet documented.

Provenance FAQ

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION This type of quilled article is a prime example of the ingenuity of the artist to take traditional materials, quills, normally used in bags and clothing decoration and fashion a new item for the trade markets. The seat cushion reflects the Victorian mode of seat cushions used in non-Native homes of the period.

EXHIBITIONS

Toward Joy: New Frameworks for American Art

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Several Seats

CAPTION Mi'kmaq. Quilled Chair Seat and Back, 19th century. Porcupine quills, birchbark, Back: 15 1/2 × 9 3/4 × 1/4 in. (39.4 × 24.7 × 0.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Collection, 09.867a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 09.867a-b_PS11.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 09.867a-b_PS11.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2022

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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.

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Quilled Chair Seat and Back

Arts of the Americas

On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Several Seats

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