McCord Jacket

McCord Jacket

This black wool broadcloth jacket (1860-1870) was cut to embrace a fashionable woman, designed to lie over a bustle on the back of the skirt. The exquisite embroidery makes this a striking garment, outlining every line of the jacket.

A Huron Wendat artist executed this needlework, a woman likely based at Wendake / Lorette outside Quebec City. Perhaps she learned directly from notable artists like Marguerite Vincent Lawinoke (1783-1865) or Caroline Gros-Louis (1876-1941).
Traditional skills in moosehair and porcupine quill embroidery elevated this fashionable garment. Quality embroidered goods were sold through retailers with a local and international clientele, like the firm now known as Holt Renfrew.

This garment marks the important fashion production of Huron Wendat artists. It is among a range of fashion items that survive in major museums, goods that circulated to global markets. Huron Wendat embroiderers made distinctive contributions to world fashion, a contribution that must be celebrated and explained.

McCord Museum

English

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