McKenney and Hall, 1836-1844 - WA-EM-BOESH-KAA. A CHIPPEWAY CHIEF., from History of the Indian Tribes of North - ca. 1838 - T-Shirt

This hand-coloured lithograph presents a half-length portrait of Wa-Em-Boesh-Kaa, a Chippeway chief, seated in quiet dignity with a feathered pipe in hand.

Visual Elements & Composition

The figure fills the frame from the waist up, set inside a rectangular plate with an oval vignette. Cream and off-white dominate the page, warmed by tan tones on the skin and blanket and punctuated by small touches of brick red and teal blue. The white blanket draped over the shoulders anchors the lower half of the composition, while the beaded and feathered pipe stem and its blue bead pouch draw the eye across the figure. The printed caption reads WA-EM-BOESH-KAA, A CHIPPEWAY CHIEF., and PUBLISHED BY F.W. GREENOUGH, PHILAD'A, giving the image the look of a plate from a bound volume.

Meaning & Symbolism

The portrait comes from Thomas McKenney and James Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America, published in the 1830s. McKenney, Superintendent of Indian Trade, set out to record the likenesses of Indigenous leaders, many of whom had travelled to Washington, D.C., to negotiate with the United States government. The images were drawn largely from portraits commissioned through the War Department, most notably by Charles Bird King from life sittings, and then rendered as hand-coloured lithographs. The pipe, the blanket and the beaded pouch are the personal markers of the sitter's identity and standing, recorded with care at a time when many traditional ways of life were under pressure.

On the Unisex Heavy Cotton Tee

A portrait built on a single figure and a clear central frame suits a chest-front print, where the face and upper body sit at eye level and the caption reads as a title beneath. The detail in the pipe and pouch rewards a closer look once the shirt is worn, and the warm cream palette keeps the historical plate intact on the garment.