Plains High Top Mocassins, Partially Beaded with Yellow Ochre, circa 1890-1910

Antique Kiowa high-top moccasins, circa 1890-1910, handcrafted from native-tanned hide and decorated with glass trade beads. The hide has been rubbed with yellow ochre, giving the moccasins their warm golden coloration.
The fronts and sides are embellished with stylized foliate motifs worked in white, blue, green, red, and other colored beads. Additional beadwork borders the soles and seams, while long hide fringe extends from the upper sections. Rows of metal domed ornaments accent the sides and add further visual interest.
The tall form, extensive fringe, yellow-ochre surface, and restrained geometric and foliate beadwork are characteristic of late 19th- and early 20th-century Plains clothing traditions.
Each moccasin measures approximately 20 x 5 x 9.5 inches.

Provenance:
David Cook Galleries, Denver, Colorado
Private Collection, Edwards, Colorado, 2003