Comanche Doll Cradle, ca. 1880
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APPRAISER:
I understand you've had this model cradle in your family for quite some time.
GUEST:
Yes, since the late 1890s.
APPRAISER:
Since the 1890s. Was it your grandfather that sent it to you?
GUEST:
My great-grandfather sent it back to his grandchildren. And he was in New Mexico. He went out there to teach the Indian children.
APPRAISER:
Do you have any idea what tribe made this cradle?
GUEST:
I have no idea.
APPRAISER:
And how about value, have you ever had anybody look at it?
GUEST:
Well, I took a photograph to a dealer, and he said, he offered me $1,500 because of the pink beads.
APPRAISER:
Because of the pink beads, that's interesting. That pink bead color is called Cheyenne pink in the Plains vernacular.
GUEST:
Oh, I didn't know that.
APPRAISER:
But the Kiowa and Comanche both made this type of cradle. I actually think this one is Comanche, which is a little rarer yet than the Kiowa. You can see the great beaded pattern down this side. And unfortunately, through a hundred years of playing with it, the other side is missing a little of the bead work. It's not quite as nice. It's beaded on a muslin, and there's a rawhide liner for the hood. The drop is still here. This was buck skin, and this was dyed yellow at one time.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
And it's a little bit stiff, but it's still not too bad. These model cradles were obviously modeled off of a large cradle for an infant. And they're very desirable. Anything Kiowa, Comanche from the 19th century is very desirable. This has the classic colors. They loved medium value beads like the pink and the blues. The Comanche used to do what they call a netted beadwork, and there's a strip of netted bead work right around the outside of that hood. That's going to be a little trickier to fix. The boards are beautiful, too, and the Comanche also used to do things like the crescent moons here, that's really a nice touch. These were probably painted yellow at one time.
GUEST:
I remember they were a shade of... kind of a red. Reddish tone.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, yeah, it has a reddish tint on the edges. It can be restored. I don't see anything on this that can't be restored. All these beads can be replaced. To fix the bead work on this, I think you're looking at somewhere between $500 and $1,000. And once it's restored, it's worth about $30,000 to $40,000.
GUEST:
Wow! I had no idea. I guess I'll take it out of the closet now.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, I would take it out of the closet.
GUEST:
And I'll be a little more careful with it.
APPRAISER:
I think I would stuff it with some nice acid-free tissue on the inside, and I'd probably think about insuring it.
GUEST:
Well, yes, I hadn't thought of that part of it.
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