1940/50s Great-Grandmother's Beading of C.M. Russell Piece While Living on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation

This is a stunning piece of bead art, or beaded picture, done by my great-grandmother (on my mom’s side) J.W. (1884-1957), back in the late 1940’s to early 1950’s. At the time, she and her husband, C.W. (1884-1960), operated a general store on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation (Gros Ventre & Assiniboine Indians) in North Central Montana. She learned bead work from the ladies on the reservation, and she created this over the C.M. Russell piece, Cowboy Life (1898).

It's hard to imagine the time, patience, and detailed needlework it took to pick and line each and every tiny bead to create this picture! I am thankful and honored to have been entrusted with this family treasure to preserve and safeguard.