October 25, 2011

Some History | Some Stylin' Indians | Caroline Parker (Seneca)

I think I'm just really into old daguerreotype photographs right now, but these images are awesome.

This is Caroline Parker (Seneca) in 1849 who, by the age of 19, was already recognized as a highly skilled artist.

In the image to the left, she is wearing an outfit that she created herself.

Her blue woolen broadcloth skirt is decorated with Iroquois symbols, and incorporates 'tree of light,' 'heaven and earth,' and 'council fire' motifs. These clothes became part of the Lewis Henry Morgan Collection at the New York State Museum in Albany.

The skirt and red cotton overdress are still present in the Museum's collection where they remain a source of continued inspiration to those wanting to replicate traditional Seneca clothing.