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Primary sourcePhotograph1884

Portrait of Sitting Bull by Palmquist & Jurgens

Palmquist & Jurgens · 1884

A studio photograph of Sitting Bull made during his 1884 tour of eastern cities, showing how he presented himself to white audiences after his surrender.

This studio portrait was taken during Sitting Bull's 1884 tour, showing his chosen self-presentation to white audiences.

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Sepia cabinet card photograph of Sitting Bull, a man with a long braided hair and an eagle feather, wearing a fringed, fur-trimmed buckskin shirt, seated and holding a pipe. The name Sitting Bull is handwritten below.
Palmquist & Jurgens, St. Paul, Minn., Sitting Bull, 1884. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian / Minnesota Historical Society.

About this source

What it is

This cabinet card photograph was made by the studio Palmquist & Jurgens of St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1884. It shows Sitting Bull seated, wearing a fringed, fur-trimmed buckskin shirt and an eagle feather, holding a pipe. His name is handwritten below the image. The print is held by the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian, and the Minnesota Historical Society.

Why it matters

By 1884 Sitting Bull was touring eastern US cities, a few years after his surrender to US forces. Commercial photographers sold portraits like this one to a curious public, and such images shaped how Sitting Bull was seen and marketed, even as he had some control over his own appearance and dress in front of the camera.

Look closer

  • What does his clothing and posture suggest about how he wanted to be seen?
  • Why might a commercial photo studio have wanted to photograph him in 1884?
  • What is missing from this image that would tell you more about his life and leadership?

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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