Hide Shirt (c. 1890): Art, History and Details

Hide Shirt (c. 1890) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the 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.

Object facts

• Title: Hide Shirt
• Date: c. 1890
• Culture: America, Native North American, Central Plains, Lakota Sioux, 19th century
• Type: Textile
• Technique: hide, pigment, glass beads, human hair
• Dimensions: Overall: 97.8 x 150 cm (38 1/2 x 59 1/16 in.)
• Collection: T - Native North American
• Department: Textiles
• Accession number: 1984.1046

A detail from the museum

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

Collection credit

Bequest of David S. McMillan

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.