Tipi Liner Item Number: 43.221.1 from the Brooklyn Museum
Description
This is a muslin tipi liner although often during this period muslins did not actually function as liners but as muslin hangings displayed to tell personal exploits or some were made for trade. This liner does have the marks left by the small weight pebbles usually assicaited with hanging inside a tipi usage. It is a very large sheet composed of two long pieces joined with a seam along the center. The bottom panel is undecorated. The top section is drawn/painted and colored with ledger like drawings of horses, men in various encounters and battles. The drawings are correct, right to left. It might be individual battles from a larger fight so it might be from the big battles in which Rain in the Face is known to have participated or it could be smaller battle engagements such as stealing horses, counting coup on Native and non-Native enemies. Accession notes include the information that the artist Edwin W. Deming was given the liner by Hunkpapa Lakota warrior Rain-in-the-Face during Deming's visit to Standing Rock in 1889 and Deming may have seen him painting all or part of it. Extensive notes are in curatorial files.
Credit Line
Frank L. Babbott Fund
Item History
- Made between 1850 and 1889
What
Where
- Holding Institution
- Brooklyn Museum
When
- Creation Date
- between 1850 and 1889
Other
- Classification
- Document