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Leggings

Date
c.1835
Current Location
Not on view
Dimensions
each: 31 × 10 in. (78.7 × 25.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Elizabeth B. and Robert Wells Streett
Rights
Public Domain
Object Number
23:2022a,b
NOTES
An abundance of silk ribbon lines the outside, top, and bottom of these leggings. Multicolor geometric bands ornament the garters and cuff, while vertical panels of green feature organic abstractions in white bead embroidery.

In the Great Lakes region, gifts of cloth and clothing were a critical component of diplomatic relations. Sir John Colborne, a British colonial official who served in top government and military positions in Canada from 1828 to 1839, collected these leggings. Considering his biography and the historical customs, Colborne likely acquired these luxurious, silk-trimmed leggings through political relations with First Nations leaders.
1830s - 1997
Sir John Colborne (1778–1863); his family, by inheritance [1]

1997/06/04
Purchased from "American Indian Art" auction at Sotheby's, New York, June 4, 1997, lot no. 14 [2]

1997 - still in 2006
John Painter (1929–2008), Cincinnati, OH [3]

2013/04/05 - 2022
Elizabeth B. and Robert Wells Streett, St. Louis, MO, purchased at auction of "American Indian Art" at Cowan's, Cincinnati, April 5, 2013, lot no. 328 [4]

2022 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, gift of Elizabeth B. and Robert Wells Streett [5]


Notes:
[1] See the auction catalog ["American Indian Art." Sotheby's, New York, June 4, 1997, lot no. 14]. The catalog notes the leggings were "Property of an English Collector" and includes the provenance "Collected by Sir John Colborne...passed by descent in the family to the present owners."

[2] See Note [1].

[3] Painter acquired the leggings in 1997 [see caption on p.13 of Painter, John W. "A Window on the Past: Early Native American Dress from the John Painter Collection." Cincinnati: Cincinnati Art Museum, 2002]. The method of acquisition is not indicated and it is unclear if Painter purchased the leggings at the June 1997 Sotheby's auction. The leggings were listed in a 2006 auction as "from the Painter collection." See the auction catalog ["American Indian Art." Sotheby's, New York, May 8, 2006, lot no. 94].

[4] The leggings were assigned inventory number 13-08 in the Streett collection. The source is listed as "CWN" [Cowan's] with an acquisition date of April 5, 2013 [copy of Streett collection inventory, SLAM document files]. See the auction catalog ["American Indian Art." Cowan's, Cincinnati, April 5, 2013, lot no. 328].

[5] Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, May 2, 2022.

We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.

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