2017.103.54.1

Collection type

Object

Description

Leather shirt, decorated with beading and hair, part of man's Northern Plains style outfit [2017.103.54]. [JMC 29/8/2019]

Long description

Leather shirt, decorated with beading and hair, part of man's Northern Plains style outfit. The main part of the shirt is formed of two pieces of soft, pale leather, sewn together at the top, but leaving a large gap for the neck opening. The arms have been added separately and are formed of rectangular pieces of the same leather, sewn up down one side, with a long fringe of cut leather down the length of the sewn edge. The bottom edges of the shirt are slightly curved, with short fringes cut at each corner. The sides of the shirt are left open, although each edge has large perforations with leather strip ties. The edges of the neck opening, shoulders and cuffs have decorative red stitching. The shirt is decorated with two large horizontal bands of beading which run from the front to the back. These are on separate lengths of leather which have been applied to the shirt and comprise yellow, black and green chevrons, and white and red diamond and arrow motifs all on a blue background. There is leather fringing along the outer edge of each band. Within the fringing on the arms and bands are several tufts of black hair, tied on with leather strips and bound at the bottom with dyed red quills, or straw imitating quills. There is a triangular flap of brown leather tied to the front of the shirt at the top, which has a separate fringe of dark brown leather around it. The flap is decorated with a border of white beads and four horizontal lines of white, yellow, red, light and dark blue beads. A perforated US one cent coin, minted in 1859, is threaded onto one of the fringe strips. There are many painted blue teardrop-shaped designs decorating the leather. For the rest of the outfit see leggings [2017.103.54 .2 - .3], club [2017.103.54 .4], necklace [2017.103.54 .5] and feather ornament [2017.103.54 .6]. [JMC 29/8/2019]

Geographical reference

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Europe > Northern Europe > United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

England

Cultural groups

Native American

Person

Field collector Raymond Wilkes

PRM source David Wilkes

Date

Acquisition information

Donated: 30/08/2016

Materials and processes

Material Animal Leather Skin, Material Cotton Seed Fibre Yarn Plant, Material Bead, Material Hair, Material Pigment, Material Porcupine Quill Animal, Material Straw Fibre Plant, Process Stitched, Process Perforated, Process Tied, Process Bound, Process Dyed, Process Painted

Dimensions

Width: max 1440 mm approx, Length: max 820 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 2017.103.54.1

Research and responses

This object is part of a collection put together by English Hobbyist Raymond Wilkes. The collection combines English, European or North American-made hobbyist material, some objects made by Wilkes himself, and some Native American-made objects. This outfit is English-Made but in the style of a Northern Plains men's outfit. [JMC 19/8/2019]

Search terms: Clothing Textile, Clothing, Shirt