Native American, Pacific Northwest Coast, United States or Canada, Tlingit / Haida / Kwakwaka'wakw , ca. mid to late 20th century CE. A pair of ceremonial or dance regalia: a blue and red wool tunic dress with brass bells along the verso hem, and wool blanket sewn with buttons and seed beads. In the 19th century the Hudson Bay Company traded many wool blankets with the coastal tribes and these plain blankets were transformed into garments, such as dresses and "button blankets," a wool blanket that is decorated with buttons and worn like a robe for ceremonial dances and potlatches. The tradition continues to this day, and this dress and button blanket are a more recent creation, with shimmering iridescent glass seed beads and sequins, the buttons encircle the hem. The fish crest with a totemic face on the body, may denote clan or family affiliation. Size of blanket: 69" L x 50" W (175.3 cm x 127 cm); dress: 42" L x 24" W (106.7 cm x 61 cm)

Provenance: private Don Phelps collection, owner Todos Santos Trading Post, Alamo, California, USA, before 2000; ex-Leon Lafortune estate, Vancouver, BC, Canada

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#180381

Some wear to armpit and neck hem perhaps from use, dress is otherwise intact and very good. Blanket is excellent, beading and buttons are intact and fabric is intact. Some minor areas of discoloration.