Habit of a Coughnonaga Woman an Indian Nation of North America

Intriguing as it is, this color engraving titled "Habit of a Coughnonaga Woman" provides a culturally rich representation of the clothing style of a native woman belonging to the community known as Coughnonaga (also spelled Kahnawake). The engraving was made in the collection entitled A Collection of the Dresses of Different Nations in 1757-1772 published by Thomas Jefferys.

The woman shown in the engraving is dressed in her typical regalia of a wraparound dress and a trade cloth blanket that functions as a mantle. There are also decorative beads and designs that adorn her clothing, indicative of the social status and position of an Indian woman of the North American nation. Thomas Jefferys' work is highly valued as not only aesthetically pleasing, but a historical primary source for the study of changing fashion trends of the Iroquois Confederacy.