| The Business of Beading:
Iroquois Beaded Souvenirs
Large Tri-Lobe Pincushion
This pincushion also functioned as a wall decoration, as evidenced by
the beaded strand at the top for attaching to the wall.
MSUM #2694.2
Wall Pocket
This wall pocket may have
held combs and brushes.
MSUM #845.20
Photos by Pearl Yee Wong
Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) beaded souvenirs feature
both traditional Native techniques and innovative adaptations of Euroamerican
forms and motifs. The Michigan State University Museum collections house
over thirty beaded souvenirs dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Such items were created and sold in the Northeastern United States and
Canada, particularly around popular tourist destinations such as Niagara
Falls. These beaded souvenirs provide valuable insights into cross-cultural
dynamics among the Iroquois and Euroamericans, and attest to the innovation
and adaptability of Iroquois people in the utilization of their traditional
skills to provide a source of income during times of social and economic
hardship. This virtual exhibit showcases some of the pieces in the MSU
Museum collections while providing background information on these beautiful
items with a rich and complex history.
Pincushion
This small pincushion could
also be used as a wall decoration.
MSUM #1149HM
Picture Frame
A daguerreotype is still framed
by this beaded souvenir.
MSUM #4775.19
Photos by Pearl Yee Wong
What are they?
Various terms have been used to describe Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) souvenir
beadwork, including “whimsies,” “gee-gaws,” and
more recently, “tourist art” or “souvenir art”.
With the rise of the tourist industry in the nineteenth century, Native
Americans, particularly the Iroquois of the Northeastern United States and
across the border in Canada, began producing souvenirs to sell to tourists.
These included birch bark miniatures, quillwork items such as boxes, and
beaded souvenirs.
Beaded souvenirs came in a variety of different shapes which reflected their
intended use. Souvenirs were made to be functional as well as serve a decorative
purpose, and therefore, in contrast to other art forms, souvenir art often
has use wear. Some of the common forms of Iroquois beadwork souvenirs are
pincushions, wall pockets, purses, sewing kits, and picture frames. Such
items were displayed by Victorian women in the home where they would not
only be noticed, but be on hand for storing items such as hat pins, sewing
supplies, and combs.
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