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Secondary sourcePaintingpublished 1914

Sitting Bull Wood Engraving

published 1914

A wood engraving of Sitting Bull published in 1914, made long after his death by an unknown artist.

A later printed image of Sitting Bull, published decades after his death, showing how his image was remembered.

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Black and white wood engraving of a man with long hair, a single eagle-like feather upright in his hair, and braids over his shoulders, wearing a fringed garment with a collar. He looks forward with a stern expression.
Unknown engraver, Sitting Bull, wood engraving, published 1914.

About this source

What it is

This is a black and white wood engraving of Sioux leader Sitting Bull, published in 1914 by an unknown artist, decades after his death in 1890.

Why it matters

As a later print rather than a drawing made from life, the engraving shows how Sitting Bull's image continued to circulate in print long after his death, shaping public memory of him as a Native leader.

Look closer

  • What choices has the artist made about hair, feather, and clothing to signal who this is?
  • Since this was made after Sitting Bull died, what might the artist have used as a model for his appearance?
  • How might an image made for publication differ from a photograph taken of him in life?

This painting 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

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.Photograph

Primary source

Chief Sitting Bull

David F. Barry · 1884

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

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