Dress Item Number: 46.96.12 from the Brooklyn Museum
Description
Long bodice (collar) of dentalium shell is a pre-style form of decoration because these shells were hard to obtain. The Sioux would have traded for them. This would be for a special woman and handed down in families. The very heavy dress does not look reworked and was worn very little and probably only used for special occasions. Blue wool trade cloth, red, white, blue ribbons might indicate July 4th reference. A slit is at the back of the dress and the basic pattern is T-shaped. Four-direction designs on the bottom would be prestige decoration and the little flowers along the bottom are unusual, odd. The bells are different colors. The body of the dress is machine sewn.
Credit Line
Charles Stewart Smith Memorial Fund
Item History
- Made between 1875 and 1900
What
- Name
- Dress
- Identification Number
- 46.96.12
- Type of Item
- dress
- Material
- wool cloth, dentalium shell, ribbon, glass bead, brass bell and cotton
- Overall
- length 43.3125 in, width 33.4375 in
Who
- Culture
- Sioux
Where
- Holding Institution
- Brooklyn Museum
When
- Creation Date
- between 1875 and 1900
Other
- Classification
- Clothing