McKenney and Hall, 1836-1844 - WA-KAWN-HA-KA, A WINNEBAGO CHIEF., from History of the Indian Tribes of North - ca. 1841 - T-Shirt

This hand-coloured lithographic portrait shows Wa-Kawn-Ha-Ka, a Winnebago chief, rendered as a bare-shouldered bust against a warm, aged ground.

Visual Elements & Composition

Cream dominates the plate, with warm tan, olive green, and a touch of brick red carrying the figure's skin tones, turban, and details. The chief sits in a bust portrait framed by a rectangular plate with an oval vignette, so the eye goes straight to his face. A green beaded turban rises with feather plumes, and a white blanket falls across his shoulders. The printed caption reads "WA-KAVN-HA-KA." and "A WINNEBAGO CHIEF.", with the publisher line "PUBLISHED BY J.T. BOWEN, PHILAD'A" beneath.

Meaning & Symbolism

The turban, plumes, and blanket identify the sitter as a leader of the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) nation. The portrait comes from McKenney and Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America, a documentary project that recorded Indigenous leaders who travelled to Washington, D.C., to negotiate with the United States government. Thomas McKenney, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, led the effort, which worked from original paintings by Charles Bird King. The plates were made during a period of forced removal, and they preserve the dignity and presence of men whose ways of life were under immense pressure.

Why This Shirt Carries It

A portrait this compact suits a chest print, where the viewer reads it at close range and takes in the face, the turban, and the caption in turn. The oval vignette and the printed text sit within the shirt's front like the plate sits within its border, so the composition reads as a single historic image worn with its full inscription intact.