silver, wing-shaped nose bob with British hallmarks. Wire added in 1995.
Item Type
Nose Ring
Context
This little piece of silver is a real anomaly. This nose ornament was designed to hang from a wire or sinew thread from a pierced nose septum. This is a hallmarked British piece made in 1812 and may have been manufactured as another item before being formed into jewelry. Wiseman states: If early VT racism was as strong as we tend to believe, it is hard to imagine a Vermont Indigenous person feeling safe enough to wear this obvious sign of Native identity in early 19th century Vermont. I believe that the only possibility would be well-known “old Indians” who were seen as colorful characters in many early 19th century Northern New England towns. This may have been an early 19th century gift to one of these men.
