Man’s Vest
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This vest commemorates a high-ranking Lakota man’s encounters with an enemy. A male artist drew the images of battles with Crow warriors as well as those of peace talks, and a female artist beaded directly over the drawings. Into the 1900s, veteran warriors wore vests on important occasions such as give-away ceremonies, Fourth of July parades, powwows, and Wild West shows. Beaded vests presented as gifts and produced for sale helped keep alive the tales of past deeds of bravery.
Artwork Details
- Title: Man’s Vest
- Date: ca. 1890
- Geography: United States, South Dakota
- Culture: Oglala Lakota (Teton Sioux), probably
- Medium: Native-tanned leather, glass beads, pigment
- Dimensions: Length: 23 in. (58.4 cm)
Width: 17 in. (43.2 cm) - Classifications: Hide-Costumes, Beads-Costumes
- Credit Line: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust through the George H. and Elizabeth O. Davis Fund and exchange of various Trust properties (2013.18)
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing