McKenney and Hall, 1836-1844 - LITTLE CROW. A SIOUX CHIEF, from History of the Indian Tribes of North America - ca. 1838 - T-Shirt

This hand-coloured lithograph gives a bust-length portrait of Little Crow, a Sioux chief, set against a cream page with the name printed beneath him.

Visual Elements & Composition

The figure fills a tall, vertical sheet as a bust vignette, his shoulders wrapped in a warm grey blanket and a black neckerchief at his throat. Shoulder-length dark hair with side locks frames the face, and skin tones are rendered in a soft tan. Cream paper dominates the composition, so the muted greys and charcoal black of the figure stand out with quiet clarity. The lettering reads LITTLE-CROW and A SIOUX CHIEF, which anchors the portrait as a documented record.

Meaning & Symbolism

The print comes from Thomas McKenney and James Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America, published in the 1830s and 1840s. The publishers set out to preserve the likenesses and biographies of influential Native American leaders during a period of forced removal and westward expansion. Portraits like this one capture a leader at a moment of transition, when treaties, sovereignty and survival were at stake. The series was adapted from paintings held in the War Department's Indian Gallery, and its intent was both documentary and paternalistic, which is part of how the folios are read today. They remain among the most significant visual records of Native American history from the pre-photographic era.

Wearing the Portrait

A bust portrait works well on the chest, where the figure sits at the centre of the shirt and reads at conversation distance. The cream ground and muted palette keep the image calm, so the face and the lettering can be seen clearly without competing graphics. Wearing it puts a 19th-century record of a named leader directly in view, with his name and title printed in the same place the original plate carried them.