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Dance apron

ca. 1830–50
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This dance apron depicts a bear; its head and paws are easily recognizable while its body is abstract. The garment’s complex and rare twined structure is generally referred to as Chilkat weaving, in recognition of the particular group of Tlingit women who excelled in the art form. Men painted the design on a wood board that women referenced to execute the weaving. Today, as in the past, members of Tlingit communities wear and dance in aprons and robes such as this one.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Dance apron
  • Artist: Unrecorded Tlingit artist
  • Date: ca. 1830–50
  • Geography: United States, Alaska
  • Culture: Tlingit
  • Medium: Mountain goat wool, yellow cedar bark, dye
  • Dimensions: H. (including fringe) 39 × W. 41 in. (99.1 × 104.1 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles
  • Credit Line: Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection, Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY (T0208)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing