Iroquois Cushion, 19th Century

The wooden, bone or shell beads that the Indians used to decorate clothing and accessories are gradually replaced by glass beads brought by Europeans, these beads come from Italy. Their use becomes important from the 19th century. The first glass beads are either too expensive or poorly adapted to the work of the Indians, but beads more adapted to local crafts appear, these are the pony beads which take their name from the "Pony Express" which delivered them. Then smaller beads appear, they are called seed beads and take the place of pony beads. They now adorn souvenir items sold by the Indians but also clothing and moccasins as well as everyday objects. The cushion has a handwritten label stuck to the back where the following note appears: "Embroidery made by the Indians of Canada. Niagara Falls. May 18, 1858" signed "Linda". Many illustrations of this work are in prestigious American museums, the Metropolitan in New York and the Smithsonian in Washington among others.
One or two small defects are to be noted on the velvet.