Costume
Jay's Ltd
Category
Costume
Date
circa 1920
Materials
Cotton thread and wood
Measurements
40 mm (width); 400 mm (length)
Place of origin
London
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 671241.12
Summary
A wooden bead necklace; part of a children’s fancy dress costume based on a stereotypical representation of Native American dress. The necklace is made up of two different sized beads; small lozenge shaped beads of many different colours, and larger beads at regular intervals. The larger beads are alternating lozenge or spherical shaped. The larger beads have small dots of paint on them. The necklace is in good condition with just a few scratches and chips to the beads. This fancy dress costume was bought from Jay’s Ltd for a children’s party in the 1920s. The clothes and accessories that make up the costume reflect a generic ‘American Indian’ stereotype which was depicted in Wild West stage shows and later Western films. Caricatures in these entertainments informed the game of 'Cowboys and Indians' which became popular in the United States and United Kingdom.
Provenance
Owned by donor’s family and donated to the Museum of Childhood by Jane Osgood in March 2011.
Makers and roles
Jay's Ltd, manufacturer Jay's Ltd, retailer