Man's Shirt
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Two antelope or mountain-sheep skins form the foundation of this shirt, which would have been worn by an outstanding warrior, ritual leader, or chief. As an expression of respect for the animals’ spirits, the makers preserved their identities in the garment’s construction. The natural contours of the hides determine the garment’s shape, and the animal’s legs form the hanging tabs. Attached to the right shoulder is a large grizzly bear claw, a symbol of power. A woman produced the blue-and-white pony bead embroidery and the two porcupine quillwork discs on the front and back. A man likely painted the black upper section and red ocher border of the shirt. The male artist or his companions oversaw the final construction of the garment.
Artwork Details
- Title: Man's Shirt
- Date: ca. 1830
- Geography: United States, Northern Plains
- Culture: Northern Plains, probably Blackfeet
- Medium: Native tanned leather, porcupine quills, glass beads, pigment, horsehair, human hair, grizzly bear claw
- Dimensions: Length: 39 3/8 in. (100 cm)
Width: 27 1/2 in. (69.9 cm) - Classification: Leather
- Credit Line: Bernisches Historisches Museum, Bern, Switzerland, Collection of L. A. Schoch (1890.410.7)
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing