Artwork Page for Hide Shirt

Details / Information for Hide Shirt

Hide Shirt

c. 1890

America, Native North American, Central Plains, Lakota Sioux, 19th century

Medium
hide, pigment, glass beads, human hair
Measurements
Overall: 97.8 x 150 cm (38 1/2 x 59 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of David S. McMillan 1984.1046
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Only Lakota (Sioux) chiefs had the right to wear painted shirts, an honor they earned through bravery.

Description

Traditionally, only Lakota (Sioux) head chiefs had the right to wear painted shirts, an honor they earned through sacrifice and bravery but lost by failing in their responsibilities. By the time this example was created, European Americans had confined the Lakota to reservations, and painted shirts had become the privilege of battle veterans rather than of active warriors. Family members probably donated the locks of hair, each representing a war exploit.
A colorful, painted hide shirt with intricate geometric patterns made of small glass beads. The top half of the shirt is painted a green shade and the bottom half is painted a yellow shade. Locks of human hair are attached as a fringe along the rectangle patches of glass bead detailing.

Hide Shirt

c. 1890

America, Native North American, Central Plains, Lakota Sioux, 19th century

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