Figure Of Infant In Cradle-Board
date: label: Accession Date
content: 17 Aug 1917
name: label: Collector
content: Miss Frances T. Densmore
label: Donor Name
content: Miss Frances T. Densmore
notes: label: Notes
content: From card: "Description: a plaster mannequin fully outfitted in a wooden cradleboard, comprised as follows: 1. Painted plaster mannequin of a baby; 2. Moss positioned to serve as a diaper; 3 and 4. Two white cotton swaddling cloths; 5. Blue and white plaid gingham dress with red trim; 6. Black on white polka-dot bonnet with red trim; 7 and 8. Two multi-colored bead string bracelets; 9. Narrow lavender and white woven beadwork necklace; 10. Birch bark tray that baby lies on; 11. Black and white print cloth pad, stuffed, that the baby and tray lie on; 12. Wooden cradleboard painted red comprised of a 79 by 29 cm flat board with incised v-shaped cuts across the top edge, a slat curved to form a u-shaped shelf that the baby and tray rest on, and a slat curved to form a hoop that circumscribes the baby's head, all held together with buckskin and screws; 13 and 14. two black velvet panels decorated with red cloth strips and transparent beads, which wrap around the baby and the board; 15 and 16. two--one red and blue, one red and orange--woven yarn strings with large green beads, which wrap around the panels and hold them in place; 17. corduroy and black cloth strips which entirely wrap and cover the head hoop, held on by multi-colored and white bead strings; 18. black cloth carrying strap trimmed with red cloth and beads, attached near the head hoop; 19. white on burgundy print cloth drawstring bag filled with moss, attached to the head hoop; 20. beaded pouch charm (containing umbilical cord?), tied to the head hoop; 21 and 22. two-- one blue-gray, one burgundy--spider web charms made of yarn, hanging from the head hoop; 23 and 24. two multi-colored beaded balls, hanging from the head hoop; and (25. plastic bag filled with yarn and beads which have fallen off the specimen). The portions of the cloth pieces that are exposed are faded. In addition there is a beige, machine-woven, wool scarf, 124 by 18 cm, with an orange stripe running lengthwise, which bears a tag with this number. It was found in the collection, not associated with the cradleboard. History: a tag attached to the mannequin says "This cradle without any cat. no. came out of the Chippewa exhibit, Hall 9, January 1956. Probably can be identified by checking all Chippewa collections." Back of board has on it "? Chippewa". Results of the inventory of the entire Chippewa collection made during June and July of 1977 indicate that the cradle described here is probably 289081 because 1. descriptions of other unlocated cradles (from their catalog cards) do not fit this one, and 2. many of the specimens from Densmore accessions were placed on exhibit in the old North American Indians hall. This identification is tentative. --L. H.Coen 5 August 1977"
label: Notes
content: Two hoops with netting, called spider web charms by Frances Densmore, are tied pendant from the cradle bow. These resemble dream catchers. See B.A.E. Bulletin 86, pl. 24a, p. 51-2 for similar object and description, which includes this passage: "they catch everything evil as a spider's web catches and holds everything that comes in contact with it." Illus. p. 61 in Oberholtzer, Cath. 2012. Dream catchers: legend, lore and artifacts. Richmond Hill, Ont: Firefly Books.
label: Notes
content: Cradle has a plaster baby head and arms/mannequin inside. NT20576 (head) and NT20619 and NT20620 (arms) are the molds for the plaster baby head and arms/mannequin in this cradle. The old labels with the molds indicate that they were modeled for Frances Densmore by museum preparator William H. Egberts and depict a Chippewa infant.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 14 Jun 2017
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Not Given, Minnesota, United States, North America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Chippewa (Ojibwe, Anishinaabe)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 061452
label: USNM Number
content: E289081-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Cradle / Figure