Costume
Category
Costume
Date
circa 1920
Materials
Leather and metal
Measurements
32 mm (width); 8 mm (depth); 740 mm (length)
Collection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 671241.7.3
Summary
A real leather belt, from of a set of accessories that are part of a children’s fancy dress costume based on a stereotypical representation of Native American dress. The belt is a different shade of brown to the leather holster that it threads through, suggesting that the belt may be an addition or a replacement to the original set. The belt is of a plaited leather design with a metal buckle. 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.
Marks and inscriptions
On the back of the buckle end, printed in gold: 'REAL LEATHER / MADE IN / ENGLAND / Small'