Indigenous suede jacket, early to mid-1800s

Alice Leadbetter

In July of 2022, we came across this vintage suede jacket, when one of our experts was assessing a bale of vintage jackets recently received by our store, Glass Onion Vintage (Barnsley, UK), from the United States. We could see that all the thread and beadwork had been done expertly by hand, and we wondered if we might learn more about this item.

We turned to TikTok, to ask the community for more information that might help us in identifying this beautiful jacket.

We were then given contact information for a number of experts. They were able to determine that the item was likely made in the early to mid-1800s, as the olive colour chain stitch on the pocket flaps is an early style of embroidery taught in the Red River colony, now Manitoba. The fringes and limited beading colours also supported this time period estimation. The jacket is made from tanned and smoked hide, possibly produced by a Métis or Cree artist however recent feedback from the Manitoba Métis Federation suggest the object may originate in Atlantic Canada.

Ideas and information can be sent to us hello@glass-onion.com at as we hope to find an appropriate place to send this jacket to live out its next chapter. M

Glass Onion Vintage is NOT a museum, but instead is the UKs leading vintage clothing company located in Barnsley, UK. Committed to sustainable fashion, they process up to 20,000 kgs of second-hand clothing every week that was otherwise destined for the landfill.