Possibly Yanktonai, Nakota, Sioux. <em>Strap Dress</em>, early 19th century. Buckskin, dyed porcupine quills, glass beads, tinned sheet-iron tinklers, thread (cotton or linen), sinew and pigment, 46 x 21 in. (116.8 x 53.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 50.67.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.2_SL1.jpg)

Possibly Yanktonai, Nakota, Sioux. Strap Dress, early 19th century. Buckskin, dyed porcupine quills, glass beads, tinned sheet-iron tinklers, thread (cotton or linen), sinew and pigment, 46 x 21 in. (116.8 x 53.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 50.67.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.2_SL1.jpg)

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The wall label says this dress “reflected the status of its wearer.” What would the woman’s status be?

This garment would have been worn during a great assembly or medicine dance. The status of the woman would have been that of someone who participated in these ceremonies.

The really special details include glass beads, metal cones, and tinklers, as well as seed beads and dyed porcupine quills. The glass beads and metal tinklers were highly valued trade items, making them prestige ornaments and emblems of wealth.

Oh wow. Would these only be worn during ceremonies then?

Yes, in general they would be worn for special events, rather than as everyday wear.

What can you tell me about this costume? Is this the front side?

That is technically the back side of the piece. The front has the nicely scalloped strap embroidery that mirrors the scalloped embellishment along the bottom.

This is a rare example of Plains women's clothing during the early period of non-Native incursion into the midwest!

It was not an everyday garment. It would have been carefully treasured to be worn at special occasions such as a great assembly or medicine dance.

The bands of decoration along the lower part of the dress in orange, green, and blue are actually made from porcupine quills.

Is this made of leather?

It is made of leather, yes. More specifically, hide from a deer.

Strap Dress

Arts of the Americas

CULTURES Possibly Yanktonai, Nakota, Sioux; Possibly Cree; Possibly Anishinaabe

MEDIUM Buckskin, dyed porcupine quills, glass beads, tinned sheet-iron tinklers, thread (cotton or linen), sinew and pigment

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS

Possible place collected: Fort Snelling, Minnesota, United States
Possible place made: Red River Region, Canada
Possible place made: Red River Region, United States

DATES early 19th century

DIMENSIONS 46 x 21 in. (116.8 x 53.3 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas

ACCESSION NUMBER 50.67.2

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 Woman's dress composed of four sections of very white and pliable hide, probably employing at least two deer or caribou hides. Two large pieces of skin were sewn together to form the front and back of the dress and the upper edge of the skin is turned down as a long graceful flap to the waist. Two smaller pieces of skin are added to serve as shoulder straps. The entire dress, including the quillwork, is sewn together with thread. The seams that join the two major sections are fringed. Fringe near the shoulder is clipped very short so that it appears "pinked" and the fringe at the bottom of the dress is wrapped with orange and blue porcupine quills. The decoration of the shoulder straps is somewhat unusual as it differs from front to back. Scallops terminate the straps on the dress' front' while fringes decorate the shorter ends of the straps at the back. The straps are also decorated with a row of tiny black beads that edge the sides of these straps and surround the three scalloped lobes on each. Pairs of black beads in a double row decorate the section of the strap that intersects with the low neck line. Each scalloped portion of the straps is also ornamented, right and left, with bows made of hide strips wrapped at intervals with orange and light blue quills. Similar string-like ornaments are also attached at the proper right side of the front flap and the proper left side on the black flap. Quillwork strips across the body of the dress are in green, black, brown, white, reddish orange and light blue. Black seed beads and blue pony beads are applied as a scalloped border on an added piece of skin near the hem of the dress and tin cones are suspended in pairs from the apex of each of these beaded curves by thin hide strands wrapped at intervals with orange quills. See Jarvis report in Arts of Americas files.

EXHIBITIONS

Tipi: Heritage of the Great Plains

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Possibly Yanktonai, Nakota, Sioux. Strap Dress, early 19th century. Buckskin, dyed porcupine quills, glass beads, tinned sheet-iron tinklers, thread (cotton or linen), sinew and pigment, 46 x 21 in. (116.8 x 53.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Henry L. Batterman Fund and Frank Sherman Benson Fund, 50.67.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.2_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 50.67.2_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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