War shirt
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Composed of two hides, one for the torso and the other for the sleeves, this shirt became a canvas for a female artist to decorate. The spots, made of blue trade pigment, evoke a predator and thus convey symbolic power to the shirt’s owner. The artist embellished the shirt with fringe, trade beads, and embroidered panels of quillwork on horsehair.
Artwork Details
- Title: War shirt
- Date: ca. 1850
- Geography: Possibly made in Idaho, United States; Possibly made in Oregon, United States; Possibly made in Washington, United States
- Culture: Niimíipuu / Nez Perce, Native American
- Medium: Tanned leather, pigment, horsehair, porcupine quills, dye, glass beads, and wool cloth
- Dimensions: 33 × 60 in. (83.8 × 152.4 cm)
- Credit Line: Loan from the Charles and Valerie Diker Collection
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing