Crest headdress fragment

ca. 1840

Tlingit

This mysterious piece was originally collected as a “curiosity” by an east coast resident who, as a gold prospector, had gone around Cape Horn and up to the Northwest Coast in the early 19th century. Without documentation we can only speculate that it might have once adorned a headdress.

Alder wood, paint, and abalone shell

7 x 10 1/2 x 3/4 in. (17.78 x 26.67 x 1.91 cm)

Gift of John H. Hauberg

91.1.138

Now on view at the Seattle Art Museum

Resources

Published ReferencesThe Spirit Within: Northwest Coast Native Art from the John H. Hauberg Collection, Seattle Art Museum, 1995, pg. 50

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