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PLAINS INDIAN HORNED BONNET
– BUFFALO HIDE AND HORNS – PARTICULARLY NICE SPECIMEN
FROM THE FAMOUS AMY VANDERBILT COLLECTION:
This 19TH Century Buffalo Horn Bonnet is a
relatively rare example of one of the most iconic styles
of Plains Indian head wear, and it has survived in
particularly nice condition.
Originally obtained from the famed Amy Vanderbilt
collection when the contents of her Weston, Connecticut
summer home were made available, this bonnet was
purchased by Ed Vebell, a well known artist who lived in
the area and acquired the bonnet to use as a subject
model for his paintings. At the same Vanderbilt sale,
held prior to her death in 1974, Vebell also purchased
what has since been classified as one of the most
spectacular Oglala Sioux warshirts known to exist in
private hands. The shirt has been definitively
identified as having belonged to Chief Black Bird, one
of the most documented Native Americans of his
generation. Black Bird was present at the Little Big
Horn, is recorded in the Crazy Horse Surrender Ledger,
and from 1899 through 1902 he was a member of William
“Buffalo Bill”
Cody’s
Wild West Show. Black Bird’s shirt recently sold at
auction, setting an all time record sale price for a
Native American artifact, the hammer falling at $2.6
million.
The
Black Bird Shirt and this Horned Bonnet were acquired
from the Vebell collection at the same time, when I was
fortunate enough to be able to purchase the bonnet.
While
the bonnet is not identified to a particular Indian, it
was certainly made contemporary to the late Indian War
period before the buffalo were all but eradicated from
the American Plains.
The
skull cap is formed from two semispherical-shaped pieces
of brain tanned buffalo hide, one forming each side of
the bonnet, and stitched together with sinew along a
seam running from front to back. The buffalo fur is
quite long, indicating the hide was cut from the skull
or upper spine area of the hide. The fur is intact over
the exterior of the hide with the exception of an area
on the left front of the bonnet as can be seen in the
photographs below. This area of hair loss appears much
more obvious in the photographs than it does when the
bonnet is viewed in person, due to the lighting and
contrast of the photography. The length and
density of the surrounding fur covers much of this area,
and while the area is visible, is not dramatically
apparent, nor does it detract from the bonnet when it is
on display. The remainder of the fur is still fixed
well in the hide and is not slipping, nor is the hair
brittle. The leather has that old stiffened feel that
it should, but it is neither hardened nor brittle, and
is still as pliable as one can reasonably expect from
old buffalo hide that has been exposed to wear and
perspiration.
Attached to the sides of the bonnet are two buffalo
horns that were scraped to reduce the weight and create
a profile suited to the wearer’s preference – a
technique well documented and characteristic to these
bonnets. The horns are attached with a series of brain
tanned thongs through the skull cap and tied on the
interior. The horns are in very nice condition with no
cracks, splits or worm damage, and they have a very nice
patina featuring that slightly greenish tint
characteristic to old buffalo horn.
The
front edge of the bonnet is bound in red wool and
decorated with brass trade bells. Some of the bells
show the expected wear and misshaping one would expect
to find, but none appear to be missing. Over each
temple there is a leather disc faced with red wool and
edged in glass seed beads with a piece of hide from a
buffalo tail or a horse tail sewn with sinew to the back
of the disc, creating a long black hair pendant that
depends from each side of the bonnet. The rear edge of
the bonnet is edged in a piece of soft brain tanned hide
where the bonnet would have rubbed the back of the neck
when worn.
Any
specimen of Plains warrior headwear is very difficult to
find in any condition, particularly one that you can
own. This bonnet is a truly spectacular
piece of Plains Indian headwear which presents very well
and is a dramatic display piece. Further, it is a
piece that the ownership and whereabouts are well
documented for at least the last 40-50 years, and very
likely dates well before that when Mrs. Vanderbilt was
building her collection. Again, this is one of the
most iconic symbols of the Plains Indians’ warrior
culture and would be a centerpiece in any Western
Frontier Collection.
SOLD
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