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Man's Shirt

ca. 1880
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Materials acquired through trade predominate in this otherwise traditional shirt. Hudson’s Bay red wool cloth forms the body, and European glass beads are used to embroider the ornamental strips. However, the garment is open at the sides, as was common with earlier animal-skin war shirts. Typical beaded rosettes at the centers of the front and back symbolize the sun and moon. The use of weasel-fur fringe indicates the shirt was made for a proven war veteran.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Man's Shirt
  • Date: ca. 1880
  • Geography: United States or Canada, Montana or Alberta
  • Culture: Blackfeet
  • Medium: Wool cloth, glass beads, native-tanned leather, ermine skin, feathers
  • Dimensions: 68 × 25 in. (172.7 × 63.5 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Costumes
  • Credit Line: Collection of Ed and Judy Benson
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing