Shell Bracelet Item Number: E2559-0 from the National Museum of Natural History
Notes
BRACELET. 38 SMALL SHELLS STRUNG ON A TWO PLY TWISTED VEGETABLE FIBER CORD. AN OLD TAG READS, "A SPECIES OF FRESHWATER SHELL, "MELANIA," A WEST COAST SPECIES". PUGET SOUND, WASHINGTON.Peale catalogue describes # 400 (E2558) and #401 (E8780) as "Shell necklace worn by the natives of the Straits of de Fuca. 401A (E2559) A duplicate made of fresh water shells." E2559 is, at least currently, too small to be worn as a necklace."Straits of de Fuca" presumably refers to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The Strait of Juan de Fuca is the waterway stretching from the Pacific Ocean on the west to the San Juan Islands on the east, with Vancouver Island to the north and the Olympic Peninsula to the south. Puget Sound is the narrower waters south of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The international boundary between the United States and Canada runs down the center of the Strait.
Item History
- Made in Washington, USA ? or British Columbia, Canada ?
- Collected in Washington, USA ? or British Columbia, Canada ? between 1838 and 1842
- Received from United States Exploring Expedition during 1858
What
- Name
- Shell Bracelet
- Identification Number
- E2559-0
- Type of Item
- bracelet
Who
- Received from
- United States Exploring Expedition
Where
- Holding Institution
- National Museum of Natural History
- Made in
- Washington, USA ? or British Columbia, Canada ?
- Collected in
- Washington, USA ? or British Columbia, Canada ?
When
- Collection Date
- between 1838 and 1842
- Acquisition Date
- during 1858
Other
- Accession Number
- 66A00050