The decorations added to a Pretty Girl bracelet were set on a platform and usually were a combination of hand made and cast elements such as medallions, buttons, braids, wire and raindrops. ![]() They are still done that way today but in some cases the splits are made using a hydraulic drop cutter.Ī Pretty Girl bracelet is a lightweight split shank Native American souvenir bracelet from the Fred Harvey era. The splits were originally made by hand with a saw or a cold chisel and a hammer. Part of the sides and the terminal ends of the bracelet are left solid like the original metal plate – the sides can be stamped or adorned all the way to the ends. Split Shank bracelet The center is split into two, three, four, or five branches, most commonly three. After a radical makeover, he offered a 35 cent breakfast which included steak, eggs, hash browns, six wheat pancakes with maple syrup, apple pie and coffee all served in a clean and pleasant atmosphere.ġ878 Fred Harvey signed a contract with the Santa Fe Railway (also known as the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe or AT&SF) to operate small restaurants (called tea rooms) at railroad depots along the railroad’s route. He became a US citizen in 1858ġ876 Fred Harvey entered into a handshake agreement with restaurant operator Peter Cline who ran the eatery at the Topeka, Kansas railway depot to transform the lunchroom to better serve train passengers. To understand the man, the era, and the jewelry, first of all a very brief timeline:ġ835 Fred Harvey was born in London, Englandġ850 Fred Harvey, age 15, sailed to America, his first job was a dishwasher in NYC. But that’s putting the caboose before the engine. Is he responsible for the first Native American jewelry boom in the US? Well, yes and no. Is Fred Harvey responsible for the introduction of Americans to America? Yes. ![]() Instead of referring to the the tourist jewelry from the era as “Fred Harvey jewelry”, it has been suggested that “railroad jewelry” would have been more appropriate. ![]() But what is curious about his legacy is that we Native American jewelry aficionados erroneously use his name to describe a particular type of Native American style tourist jewelry that he personally did not have much to do with and that actually exploded onto the scene after his death. Fred Harvey (1835-1901) and the phrase “Fred Harvey era” are often misunderstood and misused when it comes to describing early Native American style jewelry.įred Harvey lived during fascinating times and his story tells us much about US transportation, westward travel, railway restaurant cars and the early tourist trade.
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