Woman's saddle
- Audio guide stop: 158
- Gallery: Room 26
- Date: 19thC(late)
- Object type: saddle
- Materials: skin; glass
- Museum number: Am1949,23.1
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is a woman's pad-saddle, made in the late 19th century by the Cree or Ojibwa peoples of the Plains region in North America. The saddle features intricate beadwork applied to hide, and was sewn using traditional methods. You can see the detailed glass beadwork covering the piece, which would have once been worn by a woman to ride. The artistry of the patterns speaks to the cultural and aesthetic traditions of the Plains Peoples. This object was donated to the museum in 1949 by Captain A.W.F. Fuller. It once appeared in a BBC children's television show called "Scan." You'll find similar styles in studies like the Encyclopaedia of Native North America and early museum records that describe its origins.
See it in person
Woman's saddle is on display in Room 26 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 158, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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