LEATHER MOCCASINS ATTRIBUTED TO CARL MOON AND GERONIMO

Description:

LEATHER MOCCASINS ATTRIBUTED TO CARL MOON AND GERONIMO
A most unusual and provocative relic, a pair of leather moccasins said to have been owned and worn by GERONIMO (1829-1909), one of the most prominent Apache leaders and medicine men. Geronimo's raids and related combat actions were a very significant part of the prolonged period of the Apache–United States conflict, which started with the American invasion of Apache lands following the end of the war with Mexico in 1848. The well-worn hand sewn moccasins are constructed in three pieces, with thick leather soles worn-through in places, ankle-high uppers, and (presumably) silver conical decorations attached to the rear of the upper to allow the moccasin to be tightened about the foot. One of the moccasins has an old paper tag attached to it with a piece of old string, the tag imprinted: 'Carl Moon 565 N. Mentor Ave. Pasadena, Cal.' Some of the resewn stitching on the moccasins has sprung over the years, and the right footed moccasin has two holes in the sole, which were already patched long ago. The description 'Geronimo ft. Sill OK 1894' is written in a period hand in black ink on the sole of the left moccasin. CARL MOON (1878-1948) was an American photographer, painter and writer focused on Native American subjects. In 1903, he set up his own studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1907, Moon left Albuquerque for the photographic studio Fred Harvey had established at El Tovar Hotel on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, commissioned to take pictures of Native American communities throughout the Southwest. These moccasins, from his extensive collection of relics, were offered by Cowan's in 2000 and then apparently sold privately thereafter. Although Moon's collection was vast, and several other Geronimo items with provenance dating back to 1886 accompanied those pieces, these moccasins bear no additional provenance and are thus sold as is and estimated accordingly.