McKenney and Hall, 1836-1844 - YOUNG MA-HAS-KAH. CHIEF OF THE IOWAYS., from History of the Indian Tribes of - ca. 1837 - T-Shirt

This hand-coloured lithograph portrays Young Ma-Ha-Sah, chief of the Ioways, in a dignified half-length portrait that centres the leader and his presence.

Visual Elements & Composition

The image sits within a rectangular portrait plate, arranged vertically so the figure fills the frame. Warm skin tones and a cream ground dominate the palette, with touches of sage green, brick red and silver grey adding accents. The chief wears a layered necklace of pale, tusk-like beads and holds a tomahawk with a wooden handle, while red face paint marks his features. The printed caption reads YOUNG MA-HAS KAH and CHIEF OF THE IOWAYS, with the credit Philadelphia Published by E.C. Biddle along the plate.

Meaning & Symbolism

The portrait comes from McKenney and Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America, assembled during the 1830s and 1840s. Thomas McKenney, Superintendent of Indian Trade, commissioned the likenesses from artist Charles Bird King to record Indigenous delegates visiting Washington, D.C. The necklace, tomahawk and face paint signal rank and identity, while the formal pose gives the sitter the full weight of his leadership. The image was made as federal policy was reshaping Native homelands, so it preserves a leader whose name and standing carried real political significance during that turbulent period.

Carried on the Tee

Ma-Ha-Sah's portrait is a single, upright figure, so it suits the open chest of a tee where it can be seen head-on. The vertical plate translates straight onto the shirt front, letting the chief's gaze and the printed caption meet the viewer at conversation distance.