This Bookmark Tells Its Own Story
A skilled Mi’kmaw artisan. A young woman from a prominent Nova Scotian family. The Prince of Wales. All have connections to this stunning embroidered bookmark.
The bookmark was made by Sarah Rachael Uniacke under the direction of a Mi’kmaw teacher who gave her weekly lessons in moose hair embroidery. When the Prince of Wales visited Nova Scotia in 1860, he was presented with a large number of Mi’kmaq artworks. Sarah’s bookmark was not among these gifts – instead, she sent it to her aunt in England. But you can see a bookmark very much like hers, including the lovely conch-shell motif, in the Prince’s collection, now held at the Isle of Wight.
Object type:
Moose Haired Embroidered Bookmark
Object #:
1980.105.1
Collection name:
Curator:
Date (age/made):
19th Century
Origin/place:
Halifax, NS
Materials:
Birch Bark, moose hair, porcupine quills, silk fibre and cotton
Dimensions:
320 mm x 48 mm