Lot 20

C. 1890 Ghost Dance Southern Plains Hide Shirt

Estimate: $2,500 - $3,500

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
The lot features a fantastic authentic Ghost Dance polychrome painted Indian tanned hide dance shirt dating to circa 1890 from the Southern Plains Indians. The shirt is comprised of Indian tanned hide in a classic Southern Plains war shirt pattern which exhibits a “V” cut hide bib / neck on both sides with fringes and fringes at the chest, down the shoulders, down each arm, at the bottom of the arm cuff, all on both sides. The shirt and fringes are beautifully polychrome painted using mineral pigment dye colors of green, yellow, red and dark blue. The front and rear hide bib show the correct symbols as documented on other Ghost Dance objects such as dance shirts, drums and shields including the six-pointed morning stars and crescent half moon both in dark blue. Authentic 1890’s Ghost Dance polychrome painted shirts are immensely rare, exceptionally hide examples from the Southern Plains such as the piece shown in this lot. The shirt shows two medicine pouches tied with Indian tanned hide at each shoulder as well as 19th Century brass hawk trade bells as well as nuts with a dark coloring commonly found in the Southern Plains region. Provenance: Collected from Reggie Roberts, a noted Indian Art Dealer and from the private collection from the greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. The hide has some stiffening, some slight thread loss and a few small tears at the neck, but overall well preserved with some softness to the hide still and excellent pigment coloring. The shirt measures 60”W from outside fringes at the end of each cuff, 17.5”W from shoulder to shoulder and 30”L from the neck to the bottom of the fringe.