Rosebud Sioux, South Dakota
AmericanDress, ca. 1885-1890
Not on view
Deerskin, glass beads and tin cones
Dimensions53 1/4 × 66 9/16 in. (135.3 × 169.1 cm)
Museum purchase from the Chandler/Pohrt Collection, 1985.37
This classic Sioux dress is made from the skins of three deer. There is one hide each for the front and back. The third hide is folded horizontally to form the yoke which, in turn, is fully beaded. Small “seed” beads in a wide range of colors and shades became available after 1850. Tribal art styles developed from the simple geometric patterns and limited colors of the pony bead era toward more complex designs and a heightened contrast of colors in the seed bead era.
