Penobscot cape collar, ca. 1870
Item 23502 info
Hudson Museum, Univ. of Maine
This Penobscot cape collar features medicinal and other plant motifs and reflects design traditions that spread through the Northeast in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
Penobscot men wore cape collars and cuffs for dances, ceremonies, inaugurations of governors and chiefs, and other special occasions.
These items are derived from the decorated great coats worn by Penobscots in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
The earliest collars were ornamented with ribbon work and white seed beads laid out in double curve motifs, typical of the Penobscots.
Item 11 of 11
