"DRAWING SHADOWS TO STONE": PHOTOGRAPHING NORTH PACIFIC PEOPLES (1897-1902) (AMNH, NEW YORK, NY, USA, 1997)

"DRAWING SHADOWS TO STONE": PHOTOGRAPHING NORTH PACIFIC PEOPLES (1897-1902) (AMNH, NEW YORK, NY, USA, 1997)

FROM CARD: "THE LOOM IS A BAR SUPPORTED ON TWO LEGS - NO OTHER APPARATUS. THE WARPS ARE WHITE YARN AND FIGURES IN BLACK, BLUE AND YELLOW YARN ARE WORKED IN TWINED WEAVING PRECISELY AS IN MAKING BASKETRY. THE FIGURES ARE MYTHOLOGICAL. THE WEAVER IN THIS WORK CONTRARY TO OTHER AMERICAN EXAMPLES, HAD THE PATTERN NOT MERELY IN HER MIND BUT PAINTED ON A BOARD."See related objects 209963, 209581 and T15491. See also the accession file, which contains a diagram and description of the loom done by Emmons. In a letter dated February 24, 1900, filed in Accession 40238, Emmons talks about getting a Chilkat blanket in process and accessories to be used on exhibit at the Smithsonian: "I know that I can get this from a family far up the Chilkat River in the goat country ..." In letters dated 5 and 9 October, 1900, filed in Accession 37889, Emmons talks about visiting the Chilkat (Chilkoot?) mountains and collecting the blanket in process from the upper Chilkat village in the mountains.Per Haida artists Delores Churchill and Evelyn Vanderhoop, 2015, the blanket and associated separate bags of yarn include Haida made yarn and commercial yarn.

SQUARE WOODEN BENTWOOD BOX WITH PAINTED NORTHWEST COAST DESIGN IN RED AND BLACK ON EXTERIOR, CONTAINS UNDYED MOUNTAIN GOAT WOOL (wool of the type used to make Chilkat weavings). "EN BALES" and "Bales" are written on bottom of box in pencil. This box has been long exhibited (since early 1900's) with Cat. #s 209964 and 209581, and thus may be related to (or be part of) #209964. - F. Pickering 10-1-2004

The gray is red, purple, orange, green, and brown.