body paint (cosmetic samples)

Iron oxide used to produce red body paint for ceremonical occasions.

Letter from Christopher Wren to Mr. T.H. Powell: 'Dear Sir; I have made up a selection of implements with some things and shall ship them to you tomorrow by express. Among them are the following; [passage omitted] 2 pieces of red (war) paint, iron oxide [one of these is likely to be this object] [passage omitted] All of the pieces are marked on the wrappers so that you can catalogue them definitely. They are all from the territory which William Penn bought from the Indians and near the largest river in the State. I hope the specimens will add something new to your collection. Very Truly Yours, Christopher Wren'

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
27.103
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 36 x 52 x 12 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
mineral pigment
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring anthropology

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk