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Hide Shirt
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
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.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineHide Shirt, c. 1890. America, Native North American, Central Plains, Lakota Sioux, 19th century. Hide, pigment, glass beads, human hair; overall: 97.8 x 150 cm (38 1/2 x 59 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of David S. McMillan, 1984.1046
