Northwest Coast Native American
Basket (probably Tlingit), 19th century
Spruce root and bear grass, 26 x 25.4 cm (10 1/4 x 10 in.)
Veronese Room
Commentary
This basket was made by a Northwest Coast Indigenous North American weaver from the Tlingit tribe of southeast Alaska. Tlingit spruce root baskets often use bold, geometric shapes and warm colors, which have likely faded over time in this example. The designs represent patterns observed in nature, like the wave decoration on this basket.Tlingit weavers began making baskets for sale in the late 1700s and the tourist market flourished with the introduction of steamships to Alaska in the 1880s. It is possible Isabella purchased this basket—along with one in the Macknight Room— on her trip across America with stops in San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Denver in 1881, or it may have been a gift. She displayed it by the desk in the Veronese Room, along with other objects of personal significance.