UNIDENTIFIED NIISITAPIIKWAN (ALBERTA BLACKFOOT) ARTIST
accompanied by a copy of a gelatin silver print depicting a group of Blackfoot chiefs photographed near Calgary in 1908 by Joseph K. Dixon (1856-1926). The original print is held in the McCord Museum's photographic archive collection, object no. MP-0000.338.4.
ESTIMATE: $3,500 — $5,000
Further images
As something that once began as a purely utilitarian object, blanket strips have become a quintessential visual marker of the Niisitapiikwan, amongst other neighbouring groups. Originally, blanket strips were used to join buffalo hides together, particularly from the hump area, but changes in function and preferences had the strips get longer, and be used for woolen blankets obtained in trading with settler groups across the west. Highly decorated versions became the norm for men, and eventually women and children, with strips that were densely filled with quill work, beads, and tassels. The present example provides a field of white for its rondels and alternating design work to sit upon, something bright that would undoubtedly catch the eye.
FA
Provenance
Private Collection, NY;
Sotheby’s, New York, 24 May 1994, lot 202;
Acquired from the above by a Private Collection, Montreal;Estate of the above.
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