Niagara Heart Shaped Pin Cushion- Tan Whimsy- Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)

Description

Heart-shaped Pin Cushion whimsy on tan velvet. This type of vintage pin cushion is from the Niagara Falls souvenir tradition sold by Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people beginning in the 1830s into the 1900s.  It is 4″H x 4.5″L x 2.5″W. There is a leaf on each side. The left side one has green and clear bead leaf along with light blue basket beads.  On the right, the bead work is of blue and clear beads and has yellow basket bead dangles. The center is clear beads with a few pink ones. There are no breaks in the bead work among the leaves or center. The dangles are intact.   The pin cushion is intact with no breaks in the back. The beads around the velvet heart are intact and accentuate the historical beauty of the piece. There were probably dangles at the bottom, but they are missing