1968.0065 Wall Pocket
  • 1968.0065 Wall Pocket
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Wall pocket (Matchsafe)

  • Category:

    Textiles (Needlework)

  • Place of Origin:

    Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada, North America

  • Date:

    1850-1880

  • Materials:

    Wood; Birch bark; Porcupine quill; Dye

  • Techniques:

    Quillwork

  • Museum Object Number:

    1968.0065


  • Complete Details



Object Number

1968.0065

Object Name

Wall pocket (Matchsafe)

Category

Textiles (Needlework)

Credit Line/Donor

Museum purchase

Place of Origin

Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada, North America

Date

1850-1880

Subjects

Native American; Indigenous peoples

Materials

Wood; Birch bark; Porcupine quill; Dye

Techniques

Quillwork

Construction Description

Hand-made

Dimensions (inches)

6 (H) , 5.375 (W) , 2.125 (D)

Dimensions (centimeters)

15.24 (H) , 13.653 (W) , 5.398 (D)

Object Description

Web - 03/01/2011

This dainty wall pocket once was brilliantly colored with bright blues, reds and yellows to shades of brown and cream, all muted now due to light exposure. The function is Anglo-American, a basket mounted on a wall designed to hold small, light items, but it was created by an artist of the Mi'kmaq culture using the traditional material of flattened porcupine quills-- a very early form of needlework in North America. The back piece is decorated with vertical quill bands arranged in alternating dyed colors to form geometric shapes and the pocket interior is lined with birch bark. Wall pockets like this were made for sale as tourist trade souvenirs in Nova Scotia and eastern Canada.