Antique Native American Haudenosaunee (iroquois) Beaded Women’s Handbag, C19th

Antique Native American beaded women’s handbag attributed to the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), Great Lakes / Northeast Woodlands region, mid–late 19th century.

This finely worked handbag is constructed on a textile ground and features dense glass seed bead embroidery, with extensive use of white bugle beads forming architectural framing and radiating elements. The decoration consists of stylised floral motifs in blue, red, white, and green, arranged in a balanced and highly controlled composition characteristic of Haudenosaunee beadwork traditions.

The handbag is finished with a distinctive scalloped, triple-lobed lower edge and fitted with a braided textile handle. Measuring approximately 20 cm in width, it is clearly an adult women’s handbag rather than a child’s or doll’s accessory. Such handbags were made for personal use and presentation, reflecting the high level of technical skill and aesthetic refinement achieved by Haudenosaunee women beadworkers during the 19th century.

Comparable examples are preserved in major museum collections, including documented Haudenosaunee and Mohawk beaded handbags dating to the same period.

Please see the hand-tinted 1849 daguerreotype of Haudenosaunee artist Caroline G. Parker (Ga-hah-no), held by the University of Rochester, which shows her with a beaded handbag and provides visual context for the form and use of Haudenosaunee beadwork in the mid-19th century.

Good condition, with minor wear consistent with age and use.

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