McKenney and Hall, 1836-1844 - MON-KA-USH-KA. A SIOUX CHIEF., from History of the Indian Tribes of North - ca. 1838 - T-Shirt

This hand-coloured lithograph presents a bust-length portrait of Mon-Ka-Ush-Ka, a Sioux chief, shown holding a curved sabre against a plain cream ground.

Visual Elements & Composition

The figure fills a vertical sheet as a bust vignette, with the composition anchored by a dark feather headdress at the top. A beaded tan shirt with blue and yellow sleeve work dominates the lower half, and a red blanket drapes over one shoulder, bringing a brick red accent against the cream paper. A diagonal sabre blade cuts across the frame, and the printed title MON-KA-USH-KA and A SIOUX CHIEF sit as text within the image.

Meaning & Symbolism

The portrait comes from History of the Indian Tribes of North America, published by Thomas McKenney and James Hall in the 1830s. The project recorded the likenesses and traditional regalia of Native leaders who travelled to Washington, D.C., at a time when federal expansion was pressing hard on Indigenous lands. The prints relied on original paintings by Charles Bird King, and the regalia, beadwork and weapon are presented as signs of the chief's standing and of his nation's sovereignty. The image is a documentary record of dignity under pressure.

Designed for This Tee

A bust portrait suits the front of a tee, where the head, headdress and beadwork sit at chest height and read clearly when worn. The vertical arrangement of the sheet maps naturally onto a torso, so the sabre and blanket frame the wearer's shoulders as they do on the original page. The historical lithograph carries its detail up close, which is how a printed shirt is seen.