Cuff

late 1800s

Cuff, late 1800s. Northeast Woodlands, Great Lakes Region, Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) or Nehiyawak (Cree) People?. Velvet, satin, glass beads; overall: 12.1 x 29.8 cm (4 3/4 x 11 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Anonymous gift in memory of Sarah Ann Morrison 1956.788.2 In the 1800s, native peoples began to use European fabrics to fashion fine formal garments; they favored sturdy cloth, such as velvet and wool broadcloth, which provided support for heavy decorative beadwork that was added by hand. Often the fabric was a dark color, providing dramatic contrast for the multicolored beads. Rather than encrusting the entire garment, beadwork was confined to cuffs, “epaulettes,” bib-like plackets and yokes, rectangular panels sewn to leggings, shirts, and dresses, and the like.