L0246-002

Pair of snow shoes Long Caption: A pair of snow shoes, part of a collection of ethnographical material made by Admiral Sir George Back (1796-1878). An Athapascan type of snowshoe, each frame made of two pieces of wood, pointed a each end (the toe ends turn up), with five crossbars. They have hexagonal woven netting and holes for the wearer's toes. The netting would be made of 'babiche' - thongs of moose or caribou hide. They most resemble an example, said to be Beaver Indian, Illustrated in 'Snowshoes' Daniel Sutherland Davidson (1937) p. 71. See AAA2647.1 and AAA2647.2 for records for the individual shoes. Back's collection was bequeathed to Greenwich Hospital in 1900 by Mrs Eliza Back, widow of Sir George's nephew - the Reverend Henry Back. Credit line: © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London Object: AAA2647 Artist: unknown Date: 1819-1834 Medium: hide; wood Size: 205 mm x 1175 mm x 305 mm Click here to buy a bespoke print of this image.