Purses
By the early 1700s, the use of hides for clothing had given way to cloth, except for moccasins and pouches. All aspects of men’s and women’s attire – from head to foot – could be decorated with beadwork and ribbon appliqué. Seed beads were applied to red, dark blue or black wool fabric by running a needle and thread through them, and laying the strand of beads on top of the fabric along the lines of the desired design. Beaders then used a second needle and thread to stitch down the line of beads, every two to four beads. Line beadwork was often combined with brightly colored silk and satin ribbon appliqué patterns.
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Seneca-style purse, c.1840-1860Nancy & Roger Prince (NTP 2) |
Huron-style purse, c.1850
Nancy & Roger Prince (NTP 6) |
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Seneca-style, c.1870Nancy & Roger Prince (NTP 1) |
Tuscarora-style purse, c.1840-1850Nancy & Roger Prince (NTP 5) |
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