The San Francisco call., 1897-07-25

perpendicularly and extremely angular
figures OF men, women, horses and colts,
and large cylindrical one ornamented
with figures of warriors dancing hand in
hand. BY turning this basket rapidly
around while gazing into its interior the
weird effect of genuine war dance is pro-
duced, as the impish figures apparently
become endowed with life and jump and
wriggle most surprisingly.
A Comanche basket is of special note.
1t is three feet deep and two and half
across the top. and of very close and firm
weave. Contrasting with this is large
lacework specimen from Round Valley,
| which is extremely light and graceful in
effect and pleasing in Its colors of cream,
deep red and various shades of brown.
A large mum ber of squaw caps of great
| fineness and beauty OF design, some i'm
mense Hoopa Valley plaques and "Soho"
| baskets of various shapes and sizes occupy
one corner of this interesting Indian
room" The Soho varieties differ from
others in that they are of light gray and
the designs are worked out in white or
cream instead of the browns and blacks
| generally seen.
! Two of the Klickitat or Siwash berry
| picking baskets of bark, laced together,
with the bottom shaped to fit the arm,
attract attention by their oddity, as does
very old and curious one of buffalo-skin,
shaped like school satchel and ornately
painted IN still-life designs.
The Indians domiciled on General Bid
wells rancheria have contributed a very
complete assortment Of their work to this
collection. A cone-shaped acorn or wood
basket of the favorite lightning pattern,
with a feather-stitch border; cooking
baskets of all Sizes several osier papoose-
baskets with their queer little sunshade
attachments, and one of the sacrifice or
''gift" baskets which are burned each year
| as presents to their dead are included in
this department.
! Besides her extensive coast collections
Mrs. Wetherbee owns baskets from many
| of the old tribes of the Eastern and South
ern States and many from foreign lands.
Mexico, Nassau, Samoa, Micronesia, Pal
estine, Japan, South America, the Ha-
waiian Islands and many other places are
represented, and among these one of the
most remarkable is from Jaluit. This is
kind of basket which once introduced
|
pocketless femininity, as it is woven double
in such way that there is deep pocket
in each of the four sides of the oblong in
terror and another in the cover.
The collection of the artist w. s. SUIT
ton, who was one of the first men to yield
to the Vaccinations of this expensive pur-
suit, is unusually valuable in that it con-
sists pr ncipally of the famous "old Tu-
Iare" weave elsewhere mentioned. Mr..
| Sutton has been for some years the owner
of one of the finest and largest of the rare
| "bottle -necks." This much coveted speci-
men came from the Santa Ynez Valley,
has capacity of at least three gallons,
is water tight, banded with the diamond
/ rattlesnake pattern so finely executed
! that 1T seems like bead embroidery, and
is OF such valEe that Mr.. Sutton refused
an offer of 5000 for it quite recently. An
other OF these Tulare specimens is an inn
mense bowl basket of similar rattlesnake
design, twenty inches across the top and
| an actual marvel of fine work. A smaller
one OF exquisite quality has the rattle
snake pattern combined with the dane
ing India n" design. and several of these
highly valued articles are adorned with
the lightning p attern" so much admired
| by our savage bro theirs and sisters.
| A number of the best pieces in this
much coveted collection were secured
from old Spanish families, to whom money
IN these later days has become of more
value than curios and heirlooms, and
every one of them bears the "hall mark"
| of their kind.
FLORENCE PERCY MATHEsoN.