Woolen Blanket
name: label: Collector
content: Dr. George Suckley
label: Collector
content: Capt. George Gibbs
label: Collector
content: National Institute
label: Collector
content: Caleb B. Kennerly
label: Collector
content: John Varden
label: Collector
content: United States Exploring Expedition
label: Donor Name
content: Accession Number Unknown
notes: label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "REPRODUCED: KREIGER, S.I. A.R. 1928, PL. 10 UNDER NUMBER 1891, COLLECTED BY LT. G.K. WARREN. THIS IS INCORRECT. CAT.#1891B IS A NAVAJO BLANKET WHICH WAS ONE OF TWO COLLECTED BY WARREN AND IS REPRODUCED BY AMSDEN (1934), PL. 77. THIS SALISH BLANKET HAS BEEN GIVEN A TEMPORARY "A" NUMBER SUFFIX AT THIS TIME. IT MAY BE A WILKES PIECE - BUT DEFINITELY IS NOT A WARREN SPECIMEN. - B.G.S. (BARBARA STUCKENRATH). LENT TO THE BURKE MUSEUM, 2/23/89. LOAN RETURNED. OCT 10 1989."
label: Notes
content: Illus. (under #1891) Fig. 30, p. 49 of Salish Weaving by Paula Gustafson, Univ. of Washington Press, 1980. Described on p. 124, cat. entry 78 of Gustafson as: "Fibres: Mountain goat hair. Colour: Dark blue, dark green, medium green, scarlet, rose, gold and natural white. Weave: Twine." Also described on p. 48 of Gustafson: "A good example of a Colonial Salish blanket ... The borders and sectioning of this blanket into horizontal panels is Classic design, but the insertion of a centred square composed of a diamond motif created by overlapping small squares is, I suggest, a direct result of the Salish weavers having seen and admired patchwork quilts."
label: Notes
content: Per Chief Janice George, Squamish weaver, 2008, the wool in this textile includes some commercial yarn.
label: Notes
content: Illus. Fig. 5.20, p. 92 in Brotherton, Barbara. 2008. S'abadeb = The gifts : Pacific Coast Salish arts and artists. Seattle: Seattle Art Museum in association with University of Washington Press. Figure caption notes: "Fully twined textiles of mountain goat wool, such as this one, were referred to as "nobility robes" because only high-status people had the means to commission them. The earliest twined robes ... [text references E2124, as an example] bore intricate combinations of geometric patterns ... created with plant and other natural dyes. ...By the mid-nineteenth century, bolder colors and patterns were employed, often with a central square in patterns contrasting with the sides, top, and bottom of the weaving."
label: Notes
content: Reference: Solazzo, C., S. Heald, M.W. Ballard, D.A. Ashford, P.T. DePriest, R.J. Koestler, and M. Collins. 2011. Proteomics and Coast Salish blankets: A tale of shaggy dogs? Antiquity 85: 1418-1432. http://antiquity.ac.uk/ant/085/ant0851418.htm . Identified there as a Colonial (1850 - 1900) blanket - weft Mountain goat hair and Salish wool or woolly dog hair; fringe Mountain goat hair.
label: Notes
content: Jane Walsh speculates that the correct catalog number for this artifact may be E2125?, based on its resemblance to the blanket # E2124 (Peale # 312). This would make E1891A a Wilkes/U.S. Exploring Expedition piece. Jane has identified it, if it is a Wilkes piece, as possibly Peale # 313, which is described (as is Peale # 312) in the U.S. Exploring Expedition Peale catalogue as a blanket made of wool of the Rocky mountain sheep, by the natives of Puget sound, NW Coast of America.
label: Notes
content: However, Wilkes collection ID for this object is uncertain/questionable. The Anthropology catalogue ledger book had listed G. K. Warren as possible donor, which is clearly wrong for this piece, though may well be correct for a Southwest blanket now called 1891B. Donor is blank in original Anthropology catalogue ledger book for catalogue #s 1892-1895, some or all of which *may* possibly be related objects to 1891A? Some other possible donors would be the National Institute, John Varden, George Gibbs or Caleb Kennerly? Object was entered into the Anthropology catalogue ledger book in December 1866. Another possible source, if this is not the Wilkes piece, might be Dr. George Suckley? See p. 112 in Suckley, George, and J. G. Cooper. 1860, The natural history of Washington territory and Oregon: with much relating to Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Utah, and California between the thirty-sixth and forty-ninth parallels of latitude : being those parts of the final reports on the survey of the Northern Pacific Railroad route, relating to the natural history of the regions explored, with full catalogues and descriptions of the plants and animals collected from 1853 to 1860, New York: Baillie're Bros.. http://www.archive.org/stream/naturalhistoryof00coop#page/112/mode/1up . Suckley and George Gibbs describe blankets made by the Clallam of wool dog hair intermixed with the ravellings of old English blankets to facilitate twisting with yarn. These are stretched on a frame and then interwoven, leaving a fringe (when finished) where the ends are separated. Suckley says that he sent to the Smithsonian one "dogs wool blanket," made of this type of material, though an entry for the Suckley blanket has not been located in the Smithsonian catalogues. Both the Gustafson and Solazzo references date this piece to 1850 or later, which would argue *against* it being a United States Exploring Expedition/Wilkes piece. If it is from Suckley, it may be part of Accession No. 126. Per Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa, 2023, see also list of artifacts in George Gibbs Notebooks of Scientific Observations of the Pacific Northwest. Western Americana Collection, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, WA MSS S-1810, notebook "Washington Territory Miscellaneous, Chiefly Natural History [ca. 1857]," Box 1, Folder 3, page image 41r https://collections.library.yale.edu/catalog/14462281?child_oid=14462872. Liz Hammond-Kaarremaa also notes re E1894: "In a letter dated Jun 13, 1958 from CBR Kennerly to Spencer Baird he mentions William J. Warren (not Lt. G.K. Warren which may be part of the confusion?), Commissioner Campbell's secretary, putting a blanket in a box with the delicate specimens on its way to Baird. Warren acted as a postmaster at Camp Semiahmoo where the letter was written. Perhaps [George] Gibbs gave it to him with the intention it be shipped to Baird? At the time [George] Suckley was in Camp Steilacoom where Gibbs was on his way to that particular month. The timeframe seems right."
label: Notes
content: X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) testing was conducted on this textile in 2017. Arsenic was detected. The testing suggests this textile was treated with pesticides that contained arsenic. The testing indicates there are high levels of arsenic (1,000-10,000 ppm). Mercury was also detected. The testing suggests this textile was treated with pesticides that contained mercury. The testing indicates there are medium (300-1,000 ppm) to high levels of mercury. See Anthropology Conservation Lab records for the full report. This object should be handled with gloves. See the Department of Anthropology "Statement on Potential Hazards (Inherent and Acquired) Associated with Collection Objects" for more detailed handling guidelines.
label: Notes
content: Illus. Fig. 35, p. 95 (detail), Fig. 36, p. 96 (detail), and Fig. 51, p. 117, in Tepper, Leslie Heymann, Janice George, and Willard Joseph. 2017. Salish Blankets: robes of protection and transformation, symbols of wealth. This blanket is also described and discussed pp. 117-121 in the publication.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 25 Feb 2025
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Northwest Coast, United States (not certain), North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Salish
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 000000
label: USNM Number
content: E1891A-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Blanket
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 154 cm