Early Heart Shaped (c. Mid 19th Century) Beaded Iroquois Pin Cushion door buzzer 9 5/8" l including bristles

9 5/8" l including bristles

6 1/2" tall x 7" wide (with dress spread flat)

perhaps original to the making

That key is long gone

Early Heart Shaped (c. Mid 19th Century) Beaded Iroquois Pin Cushion door buzzer 9 5/8" l including bristlesI don't think photos with no sense of scale do justice to this one those beads are tiny, and the pin cushion relatively small, so it feels very fine in hand. And it is definitely an early one, c. 1850s I believe. There is a great blog devoted to early Iroquois (including Seneca) and Wabanaki pin cushions, including many heart shaped examples along the lines of this one, which I believe is Iroquois. Wear to the sides as evident it does appear it was