Great Lakes Native American Beaded Victorian Button Boots, Chevron Loomwork

Native American, Great Lakes region, likely Ojibwe or Ho-Chunk, ca. 1900–1915 CE. A pair of factory-made Edwardian two-tone button boots of polished black leather with cream kid uppers, perforated cap toes, and a row of ball buttons along each side. A Native beadworker added a turned-down cuff of loom-woven glass seed beads, with repeating chevrons and arrow-like motifs in coral red, cobalt, and pale blue on a white field, bound in black velvet. Loomwork flourished among Great Lakes peoples in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Here it is applied to fashionable Euro-American footwear, an example of Native artists adapting their work to new materials and markets. The boots themselves are factory-made Euro-American two-tone button boots from about 1900–1915. A Native beadworker added the beaded cuff, which makes this a nice cross-cultural piece. Check whether the second boot has a matching cuff folded inside, and whether the cuff is original to the boots or attached later. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. Item # 206054

Estimate:$400

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