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Primary sourcePhotographAugust 1885

Sitting Bull Studio Portrait, Montreal

William Notman & Son · August 1885

A studio portrait of Sitting Bull taken in Montreal in August 1885 during his tour with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.

A portrait of Sitting Bull taken in Montreal while he toured with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.

Ask Sitting Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake) about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Black and white studio portrait of an older man with long dark hair in two braids, wearing a patterned wool vest over a light shirt with a beaded or woven sash, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression, hand visible at lower edge.
William Notman & Son, Sitting Bull, Montreal, August 1885.

About this source

What it is

This black-and-white studio portrait was taken by William Notman & Son in Montreal, Canada, in August 1885. It shows an older man with long braided hair wearing a patterned wool vest over a light shirt with a woven sash, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression.

Why it matters

The portrait was made during Sitting Bull's tour with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, a period when he traveled widely and was photographed often by professional studios eager to capture his image for the public. It shows how his appearance was documented away from the plains, in an eastern Canadian city.

Look closer

  • How does this portrait compare to other photographs of Sitting Bull taken in different settings?
  • What might his serious expression tell you, or not tell you, about how he felt during the tour?
  • Why would a Montreal photography studio have wanted to photograph him?

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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