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Primary sourcePhotograph1884

Chief Sitting Bull

David F. Barry · 1884

A studio photograph of Sitting Bull taken in 1884, the most widely reproduced lifetime image of him.

This is the defining lifetime photographic portrait of Sitting Bull, taken on the Standing Rock reservation.

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Sepia-toned studio portrait of a man with a long braided hair, wearing a light patterned shirt and a feather headdress, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression against a plain backdrop.
David F. Barry, Chief Sitting Bull, 1884.

About this source

What it is

This cabinet-card photograph of Sitting Bull was taken in 1884 by photographer David F. Barry, who worked in Bismarck, Dakota Territory. It shows Sitting Bull on the Standing Rock reservation and is considered the defining portrait of him made during his lifetime.

Why it matters

Barry photographed many Lakota and other Plains leaders, and his portraits of Sitting Bull became the images most often copied in books, newspapers, and later histories. The photograph shows how Sitting Bull's appearance was captured and circulated by white photographers for public audiences, shaping how later generations would picture him.

Look closer

  • What does Sitting Bull's expression and pose suggest about how he wanted to be seen?
  • Why do you think this particular image became the most reproduced picture of him?
  • What can and can't a single photograph tell us about a person's life?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sitting Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Handwritten manuscript page on lined paper, titled 'Articles of a Treaty' in ornate script, with an opening paragraph naming United States commissioners and Sioux Nation delegates, followed by 'Article I' below. The page is aged and yellowed with visible tears along the top and bottom edges.Document

Primary source

Fort Laramie Treaty

29 April 1868

Colored reproduction card labeled 'Chief Sitting Bull Sioux' showing a man in profile with long braids, two feathers in his hair, a red neckerchief, and a beaded vest with geometric and floral designs.Photograph

Primary source

Sitting Bull Portrait by William Notman

William Notman · 1885

Black and white studio photograph of two men standing in front of a painted forest backdrop. On the left, a older man in a long feathered war bonnet and fringed, beaded buckskin clothing holds a rifle. On the right, a man in a wide-brimmed hat, embroidered jacket, and tall boots rests a hand on his chest.Photograph

Primary source

Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill

Wm. Notman & Son · 1885

Scanned page of the 1887 Act titled 'An Act to provide for the allotment of lands in severalty to Indians on the various reservations', headed 'Forty-Ninth Congress of the United States of America; At the Second Session', with handwritten marks and a 'Public No. 105' stamp.Document

Primary source

Dawes Act

Henry Dawes · 8 February 1887

Black ink cursive signature on white background reading 'Sitting Bull', with a long flourish above the words and a looping stroke descending below the 'g'.Document

Primary source

Signature of Sitting Bull

Sitting Bull

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