Extant moccasins which predate the 1870s are hard to find.

Pre1870s moccasins speak to a unique time on the Plains, when tribes begin to find their footing stylistically; artists begin to popularize color palettes, construction techniques and design motifs which become canon during the Reservation Period (1880-1920).

The moccasins here are a testament to this unique and exciting time in Central Plains indigenous art. Their use of a buffalo hide double welt become staples in Central Plains moccasin construction. The wide “lazy-stitch” lanes and the simple geometrics of the preceding pony bead generation (1780-1860), meanwhile, give way here to an explosion of color and designs that are now made possible by the recent of seed beads.

10” long

Ex Mike McGlinchey, PA (collected in the 1970s-2023); to Thomas Cleary, NM; to David Pusack, AZ.

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