Flared Rim Basket with Handle
Aleksandra Kudrin Reinken, Unangax^, 1859/60 - 1909
Unangax̂ (Aleut)
Western Arctic
Arctic
collected 1905
Wild rye grass (Elyleymus aleuticus), silk thread
Overall: 8 1/4 × 9 9/16 in. (21 × 24.3 cm)
Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Bequest of Frank C. and Clara G. Churchill
46.17.9384
Geography
Place Made: Unalaska Island, Aleutian Islands, United States, North America
Period
20th century
Object Name
Basket
Research Area
Native American
Native American: Arctic-Western Arctic
Not on view
Label
Born to an Unangax̂ (Aleut) mother and Russian father, Aleksandra Reinken wove floral designs into this basket to entice White tourists such as Frank and Clara Churchill, who purchased this work directly from the artist and later gave it to the Hood Museum. Reinken sourced the rye grass locally and purchased the silk comprising the flowers from Chinese or Japanese ships trading on Unalaska Island. This flared basket decorated with pink rosebuds on green silk stems and zigzagging red motifs reflects the convergence of cultural traditions in Alaska at the turn of the 20th century.
From the 2024 exhibition Beyond the Bouquet: Arranging Flowers in American Art, curated by Michael Hartman, Jonathan Little Cohen Associate Curator of American Art
Course History
ANTH 7.05, Animals and Humans, Laura Ogden, Winter 2022
GEOG 31.01, Postcolonial Geographies, Erin Collins, Winter 2022
ANTH 50.05, Environmental Archaeology, Madeleine McLeester, Winter 2022
ANTH 50.05, Environmental Archaeology, Madeleine McLeester, Winter 2022
ARTH 5.01, Introduction to Contemporary Art, Mary Coffey and Chad Elias, Winter 2022
ANTH 3.01, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Chelsey Kivland, Summer 2022
ANTH 3.01, Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Chelsey Kivland, Summer 2022
SPAN 65.15, Wonderstruck: Archives and the Production of Knowledge in an Unequal World, Silvia Spitta and Barbara Goebel, Summer 2022
Exhibition History
Beyond the Bouquet: Arranging Flowers in American Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, December 18, 2024 - March 8, 2025.
Native American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, October 8, 2011-March 12, 2012.
This Land: American Engagement with the Natural World, Israel Sack Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 5–July 22, 2022.
Publication History
George P. Horse Capture, Sr., Joe D. Horse Capture, Joseph M. Sanchez, et al., Native American Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art, Hanover: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 2011, ill. on p. 86 and p. 139, no. 12.
Provenance
Made by Aleksandra Kudrin Reinken (1859/60-1909; "Mrs. Adolf Rankin"), Unalaska, Aleutian Islands for sale; sold to Clara G. Corser Turner Churchill (1851-1945) and Frank Carroll Churchill (1850-1912), Unalaska Island, Alaska, 1905; bequeathed to present collection, 1946.
This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.
We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu