Catlin’s portrait Of iron Horn:

Abstract

This paper considers a rather unusual style of Northern Plains Indian decorated shirt which was first illustrated by George Catlin when he visited the Blackfeet Indians at Fort Union in the summer of 1832. Particular attention was drawn to this style when the artist William Fisk showed Catlin himself wearing such a shirt in a portrait executed in London in 1849. The distinguishing feature of such garments is the use of a large rectangular quilled element to decorate the chest and back. The paper puts on record the 11 known extant shirts of this style which have been found in North American and European collections and focuses particular attention on those which appear to have substantial documentation. Additionally, previously unpublished observations by J. C. Ewers on this shirt style derived from his fieldwork amongst the Blackfeet in the 1940s and communicated to the writer some 30 years ago have been utilized. Tentative conclusions assign a Blackfeet origin to such garments.