J.CAC VOLUME 22 (1997)
Analysis of the Paints Used to Decorate Northern Plains Hide Artifacts during the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
An analytical study of the paints used to decorate selected Northern Plains hide artifacts in ethnographic collections is described. In addition to establishing a database for provenance studies, analysis of ethnographic paints provides useful information for the curator and conservator about individual artifacts that may assist in the selection of appropriate treatment or display conditions. Results are reported for 258 paint samples from 95 well-documented artifacts that date from the early nineteenth century to 1930. More than half the artifacts were from the Blackfoot Confederacy, i.e., the Blackfoot, Blood, and Piegan tribes. Paint samples were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray microanalysis, and polarized light microscopy. The pigments and binding media identified are compared to those described in the ethnographic literature. Traditional pigments identified include red, yellow and brown iron-containing minerals and earth colours, and green copper-containing minerals and fatty acid salts. The most important trade pigments were vermilion, chrome yellow and ultramarine blue. Both native and trade pigments were usually applied in a proteinaceous medium.
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