McKenney and Hall, 1836-1844 - WA-PEL-LA. CHIEF OF THE MUSQUAKEES, from History of the Indian Tribes of North - ca. 1838 - T-Shirt

This hand-coloured lithograph portrays Wa-Pel-La, a Musquakee chief, in a dignified bust portrait set inside a rectangular plate with an oval vignette.

Visual Elements & Composition

Cream dominates the image, with off-white and warm brown building the figure and its surrounding plate. Brick red appears most sharply in the feather plume of the headdress, while a beaded band and a feather-and-fur cape frame the chief. A small oval medallion sits within the composition, and the printed lettering reads WA-PEL-LA and CHIEF OF THE MUSQUAKEES, with the publisher's line, "Published by F.W. Greenough, Phila'd'a," beneath it. Sky blue appears only in small touches, so the eye settles on the face and the headdress.

Meaning & Symbolism

The headdress, beaded band, and cape signal rank and identity within the Musquakee nation, and the formal bust portrait gives the leader a steady, direct presence. The plate was produced for Thomas McKenney and James Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America, published in the 1830s and 1840s. That project set out to record the likenesses and leadership profiles of Native American figures during a period of intense pressure on their nations from expanding federal authority, and this portrait preserves that record.

Crafted for the Wearer

A portrait built around a central figure suits a chest-front print, where the face sits at eye level as the wearer moves through the day. The oval vignette and plate border read as a framed display piece, so the design keeps its formal structure on a garment. Every detail of the original lithograph, from the cream ground to the feather plume, stays in view as the tee is worn.