Antique Lakota Sioux Beaded Moccasins c.1890 | White Star Buckskin Plains Indian For Sale

Up for sale is a pair of antique Native American beaded moccasins, attributed to the Lakota Sioux and dating to circa 1890 based on style, materials, and patina.
There is a glow to century-old glass beads that no photograph quite captures, a depth built up from generations of handling and light. Against the white ground, the star and flower motifs all but float above the surface, and the lane stitching is as tight and even as the day it was laid down. My father spent four decades learning to recognize work like this on sight. His eye was the filter every piece passed through, and these moccasins passed.
Artistry & CraftsmanshipThe vamps are fully beaded in fine lane-stitched glass seed beads on a white ground, with star and flower motifs in burnt orange, purple, and dark green. The beadwork wraps from the toe around both sides to a beaded strip up the heel seam. The cuffs are soft native-tanned buckskin leather with the original hide tie laces.
Key Features- Material: native-tanned buckskin leather with glass seed bead overlay- Beadwork: lane-stitched white ground with star and flower motifs in orange, purple, and green- Construction: soft-sole moccasins; soles are plain buckskin, not beaded- No bead loss observed; beadwork is bright and complete
ConditionExcellent antique condition. The beadwork is complete with no missing beads visible. The buckskin soles show honest wear from age and use, darkened but sound with no holes. The hide remains supple.
Please note: this is a fragile antique, more than a century old. All sales are final and the piece is sold strictly as is. I have described its condition as honestly and completely as I can, and the photographs are part of the description. Please inspect both carefully before purchasing.
DimensionsLength: 9.5\" (heel to toe)Width: 3.75\" (side to side)Height: 4.25\" (at back, bottom of sole to top)
Provenance & HistoryThis piece comes from the collection of my late father, Gary Grouse, a dedicated collector and historian of antique Native American art who specialized in Plains tribes beadwork. He collected carefully across the U.S. from the 1960s through the early 2000s, and his eye for authenticity was the filter every piece passed through. He identified each piece\'s tribal affiliation and period as he collected. My mother shared those decades of collecting with him and remains our living reference on the collection\'s history. If you\'d like to know anything further about this piece, just ask and I\'ll tell you everything we know.
Shipping & HandlingCarefully packaged and fully insured. Free USPS Priority Mail shipping from Portland, Oregon.