Bead Tape
Period1840
Place MadePossibly New Jersey, U.S.A.
MediumBlack and white seed beads and cotton warp and weft threads
Dimensions0.5 × 32 in. (1.3 × 81.3 cm)
ClassificationsJewelry
Credit LineMuseum Collection, 2005
Object number2005.534
DescriptionA simple bead tape, constructed of opaque white and black glass seed beads with brown cotton warp threads. The black beads form the majority of the tape, with widely spaced alternating motifs of slotted diamonds and "C" scroll banding. The ends of the tape are bound with black silk ribbon and tied together.Curatorial RemarksBead tapes enjoyed a relatively brief period of popularlity, mostly through the 1830s into the early 1840s. Although sometimes classified as Native American work, this particular type of beadwork was created by schoolgirls as part of their curriculum. While Native Americans have a long and colorful history of beadwork, prior to the 1850s most Native American beadwork was done with shell beads known as wampum. It was not until the 1850s and early 1860s that many Native American tribes incorporated glass beads into their crafts. The narrow bead tapes of the 1830s and early 1840s all bear similarities. Many surviving bead tapes were made in New England, including Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. The Association has three woven bead tapes in its collection. Although none are identified as to maker or location, they most likely were made in the Monmouth County area. Tapes, known as "chains" or "neck ribbons," were usually woven on small wooden tape looms, which provided the appropriate tension for the beadworker. The loom frame also kept the long warp threads from tangling. The beads in these tapes came from Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), imported to the United States in great quantities. It is not entirely known as to why these charming and fanciful beaded ribbons enjoyed a relatively brief period of popularity. They are rarely referred to in fashionable publications of the day. Beaded tapes do, however, appear in a number of folk art portraits working in the New England area. Museums including Old Sturbridge Village and the Wadsworth Athenaeum have beaded tapes in their collection. The Association has two other bead tapes also most likely made in the Monmouth County area, one dated 1840 and another dated 1833 (acessions 1999.569 and 715.)
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