Re: Antique Beaded Purse | |||||
Re: Re: Antique Beaded Purse -- jeff | Post Reply | Edit | Forum | Where am I? |
Floral beadwork in a range of styles was produced by Native American groups from the Northeastern Woodlands, Great Lakes, Canadian Subarctic, Southeast, Great Plains, and Plateau regions. Individual styles vary enormously from one region to another, and the treatment of such details as flower and leaf forms, buds, stems, and tendrils can often help in identifying the precise tribal group from which a piece originates. There is, however, much overlap in floral styles, and floral / foliate forms, while superficially related in style, can often be difficult to differentiate with absolute certainty.
In order to give an idea of the enormous range of floral styles across the North American continent, I'll post a few pics showing beadwork from different regions from my own Native American beadwork collection. If you look carefully at the details, some of the differences will hopefully become apparent.
These first pics show floral beadwork from the GREAT LAKES region, typically executed in couched overlay (spot stitch) technique, either on dark velvet or, if with a solid beaded background, on canvas.
The first image herewith is of a Chippewa velvet apron (one of a pair), circa 1900. The second is a pair of Chippewa velvet leggings, of similar date.