Costume
Jay's Ltd
Category
Costume
Date
circa 1920
Materials
Cotton linen mix, wool, beads, leather, metal and animal hair
Measurements
1450 mm (width); 10 mm (depth); 690 mm (length)
Place of origin
London
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 671241.2
Summary
A pale brown tunic with brown, red and yellow fringing around the neck, bottom and sleeves, part of a children’s fancy dress costume based on a stereotypical representation of Native American dress. Below the neck is a leather decorative pouch covered in beadwork with metal and horse hair fringing. It also has belt loops at either side of the waist. In fairly good condition, but the top does have some staining to the front, and some marks around the neckline. 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