McKenney and Hall, 1836-1844 - TEH-RO-HON, AN IOWAY WARRIOR., from History of the Indian Tribes of North - ca. 1838 - T-Shirt

This hand-coloured lithograph presents a bust-length portrait of Teh-Ro-Hon, an Ioway warrior, set within a single formal oval vignette.

Visual Elements & Composition

The sheet is cream, and the figure is the clear focus. Brick red and coral pink build the warm tones of his turban and blanket, while dusty pink and gold pick out his feathered headdress and beadwork. The headdress is pink with a striped yellow turban beneath it. A beaded necklace sits at his collar, and a red blanket is draped over one shoulder. A red-and-white beribboned lance runs alongside him. Dotted shading gives the surface a soft, printed texture. The name AN IOWAY WARRIOR. sits in lettering above the portrait.

Meaning & Symbolism

The portrait was made as a formal record of a prominent Ioway leader. It belongs to History of the Indian Tribes of North America, compiled by Thomas McKenney and James Hall between 1836 and 1844. The publication drew heavily on paintings by Charles Bird King, many of them made when Indigenous delegations visited Washington, D.C., for negotiations. Each portrait preserves the dignity and traditional attire of its sitter, and together they form a primary source on how Indigenous peoples were documented during the era of removal policies. The original was an oil painting, and this print reproduces it through lithography.

On the Unisex Heavy Cotton Tee

A tee puts this portrait at chest height, where it is seen at close range and in motion. The bust-length composition suits that placement, with the headdress, necklace and lance reading clearly as the wearer moves. The cream ground and warm reds of the original sheet carry straight onto the shirt, so the print reads as a faithful copy of a nineteenth-century plate.