Woodlands / Southeastern Beaded Flat Bag C. 1840 For Sale

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I consulted with the head of the Native American department of a major sale house and with a well-known author and collector of NorthEastern beadwork about this extraordinary bag. Neither was able to assist me in placing where this bag was probably created.

It is not, in my opinion, NorthEastern Woodlands. I date the bag to c. 1840, but it could possibly be earlier.

One of the floral elements (3 lobed) is sassafras, according to a botanist I contacted, a plant which is native to the Eastern and southEastern U.S. There are distinct motifs on the front and back of the bag.

“Numerous Native American tribes used sassafras for medicinal purposes and to ward off evil spirits. Since then, scientists have foundthat the oil, roots and bark have analgesic and antiseptic properties." – Wikipedia

I believe the bag is “SouthEastern Woodlands” – a loose term encompassing a large geographic area that extends southward and up to the Great Lakes and encompassed the Creek, Cherokee, Shawnee, Osage, Potawatomi, Ojibwa, Delaware (in Kentucky), Huron, and Odawa, just to name a few.

“The southEastern style of seed bead embroidery is characterized by a free-wheeling sense of vitality…with designs less ordered and controlled than those of bead embroidery

of the North.” – Art of the American Indian Frontier, David W. Penney, The Chandler-Pohrt Collection.

It is crafted on brown velvet with navy blue and red silk edge binding. The beadwork is raised, dense and incorporates French cut steel beads which came to the U.S. usually through Canada. It is thread sewn. The interior lining is polished cotton. The only bead loss is on the red silk edging the mouth of the bag. Photographs were taken in natural light, and in macro.

Measures: 6.5 inches long by 6.75 inches wide, minus handle.

If you have any questions, or anopinion as to origin, please email me. Payment is due within five (5) days of sale’s end. PayPal accepted (personal checks may be held up to 14 days to clear). I charge exact shipping costs only via U.S. Priority Mail. Thank you for looking.

Native American North American Indian purse beaded antique old vintage Woodlands south east southeast

This item has been shown 277 times. Woodlands / Southeastern Beaded Flat Bag C. 1840: $1,200