McKenney and Hall, 1836-1844 - MA-HAS-KAH, from History of the Indian Tribes of North America - ca. 1837 - T-Shirt

This design reproduces a hand-colored lithographic portrait of Ma-Has-Kah, a Native American leader, drawn from McKenney and Hall's nineteenth-century survey of Indigenous delegations.

Visual Elements & Composition

The portrait centres a single seated figure, rendered in hand-applied colour over a lithographic base. The composition is formal and frontal, with the sitter given the full width of the image so that his features, dress and bearing hold the eye. There is no added text beyond the historical identification, which keeps the focus on the face and figure.

Meaning & Symbolism

The portrait belongs to the illustrated record of leaders who travelled to Washington, D.C., in the early 1800s. Charles Bird King painted the original oil portraits, and the lithographs were published in Thomas McKenney and James Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America around 1837. The image stands as a document of individual dignity during a period of negotiation, political pressure and profound change for tribal nations, and it also reflects the romanticised interest and official record-keeping of its own era.

Wearing the Portrait

A portrait like this is made to be seen up close, and on a tee the figure sits at the centre of the chest where it can be read at conversation distance. The design is printed on a crew-neck tee, so the portrait stays in view as you move, and the historical detail rewards a closer look.