Hawaiian Feather Cape

Hawaiian Feather Cape

1. Collector: J. Cogswell (Rev. Jonathan Cogswell 1782-1864) our great3 grandfather)
2. Donor:  Mrs. Clementine L. Welling (Clementine Lydia Dixon Welling 1843-1912) our great1 grandmother)
3. Collection date: 1837 (pre-1837?) The family has no record of how Rev J Cogswell acquired the cape and boa. The Record Collection date of 1837 is the same year his wife, Elizabeth Abbott Cogswell died. 

From card: "Ground of red feathers of the Iiwi (Vestiaria coccinea) [a.k.a. 'i'iwi or Hawaiian Honeycreeper.] Two centrally located crescents, one crescent under the neck, and a vertical crescent on each side of the front of yellow feathers of the Oo (Acrulocercus nobilis). Band of the same yellow feathers around the entire lower border. Upper border and the two front margins have the base color of the ground (red), alternating with tufts of black feathers.

Accompanying this cape is a cylindrical boa of yellow feathers or lei to be worn on the head [number for feather lei is E128386-1]. 23" long.

This is apparently the cape numbered 43 in Brigham's "Hawaiian Feather Work" (Bishop Mus. Mem. 1, p. 68 and fig. 84)." `Ahu`ula, feathered cape, olona fiber (Touchardia latifolia), feathers from `i`iwi (Vestiaria coccinea) and `o`o (Moho nobilis).

Object was on display in National Museum of Natural History exhibit "Na Mea Makamae o Hawai'i - Hawaiian Treasures", 2004-2005.

The Dixon-Welling family sent a request from dixonwellingcollection at gmail.com to WomensHistory at si.edu and has not received a response and hopes to connect soon with the Smithsonian womenshistory.si.edu. Stay tuned. This object will be updated with any new details.