I am currently colorizing this photo of Frances Densmore recording Blackfoot chief Mountain Chief (Ninna-stako) in 1916, and I want to try to make it as accurate and respectful as I can. I am wondering about some of the coloration in Mountain Chief's clothing and thought that there may a few people on this sub who may be a little more knowledgeable than me.
I know the war bonnets typically used eagle feathers, so I will color those accordingly. I am thinking that the 'tubes' at the base of the eagle feathers and the smaller feathers attached to the end of the eagle feathers are red, based on some photos I've seen of similar Plains Indian war bonnets and because Wikipedia said that other style of headdresses used red feathers.
Just based on the lighting and some of the traditional clothing I've seen, I am thinking his top is a light tan, the pants are darker tan, and the shoes are either black or brown. I am not certain on the colors that appear in the patterns, however. I found a few photos of Plains Indian clothing from that time period that seem to contain predominantly blues and reds as accent colors.
I also found a few previously colored photos of Mountain Chief, but I'm not sure on their accuracy. Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3
Could anyone confirm or deny what I've found, or give any additional info that could help me out? Anything would be greatly appreciated!
I'm not an expert on Plains or Blackfoot clothing, but I wanted to point you to further resources. UCSD has an online database of Plains ledger art. These are colored drawings common in the late 1800s and early 1900s that were created by Native American artists. You can search the USCD database by time period, or nation involved. While the drawings will be stylized, and the colors basic given the colours/tools available, you can begin to appreciate the ways Plains nations used color in traditional clothing. Also, check out parfleches, and other forms of hide painting to better understand the color palette used by Plains nations at the time. Combining these types of art together may help you interpret how to colorize this photo of Mountain Chief. Sorry I can't be of more assistance, but hopefully this will help you in your research.
