145 to formulate a reasonably convincing hypothesis about the circumstances under which our painted robe arrived in France. These pieces of circumstantial evidence are supported by the information that our piece was ostensibly found in an attic in western France—specifically in the Angers area—making the association with de Girardin even stronger given that, as stated earlier, he was born in Saint-Léger-des-Bois (Maine-et-Loire) and lived in the area again between 1860 and 1878 before departing permanently for Panama. In light of these various elements, it is logical to suggest that the robe was brought to France by de Girardin, who left it there when he departed for Panama and, upon his death, lay abandoned in an attic, where it was found decades later. This exceptional object now joins the ranks of the Musée du Quai Branly’s magnificent collection of painted robes, which is undoubtedly the most important in the world. The study of this particular robe demonstrates the remarkable effectiveness with which it has played its role as a mnemonic aid: More than a century and a half after it was made, it allows us to relive not only the exploits of a Sioux warrior of the 1840s, but also a part of Eugène de Girardin’s adventurous life. Almost without a doubt, it was he, as so many nineteenthcentury travelers and artists so often did, who preserved this important testimony to Plains culture by bringing it back with him to his own country of origin. NOTES 1. Musée du Quai Branly inventory number 70.2012.10.1. 2. The pieces mentioned are as follows: Peabody Museum, inv. #99-12-10/53121, Deutsches Ledermuseum, inv. #4.42.09, and Musée du Quai Branly inv. #71.1886.17.1. 3. Eugène de Girardin speaks of Nebraska because the Dakota Territory was not incorporated until 1861. It was divided into two states, North and South Dakota, in 1889 (Broc, 1999, p. 153). 4. Special thanks to François de Gourcez for the information and documents he provided about Eugène de Girardin’s story. We also suggest consulting the following websites: http://projetgirardin.free.fr/PAGES/documents.htm http://www.gourcez.com/pages/girardin.htm BIBLIOGRAPHY Broc, Numa. Dictionnaire illustré des explorateurs et grands voyageurs français du XIXe siècle. Vol. III: Amérique. Collab. Jean-Georges Kirchheimer, Pascal Riviale. Paris: Éditions du C.T.H.S., 1999. Brownstone, Arni. “Seven War-Exploit Paintings: A Search for their Origins,” in Christian Feest (ed.) Studies in American Indian Art: A Memorial Tribute to Norman Feder, Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2001. ———. “Animal Arrays and Geometric Pictorials: Commercial Aspects of Plains Painting,” in Native American Studies, no. 69, 2004. Dubois, Daniel and Yves Berger. Les Indiens des Plaines, Paris: Éditions Dargaud, 1978. Farb, Peter. Les Indiens : essai sur l’évolution des sociétés humaines, Paris: Éditions du Seuil, 1968. Feest, Christian (ed.). Premières Nations : collections royales, Paris: Réunion des musées nationaux, 2007. Galante, Gary. “The Painter: The Sioux of the Great Plains” in The Ancestors: Native Artisans of the Americas, New York: Museum of the American Indian, 1979. de Girardin, Eugène. “Voyage dans les mauvaises terres du Nebraska,” in Le Tour du Monde : nouveau journal des voyages,” vol. I, first quarter 1864, Paris, pp. 49–68. Hall, Henry. “A Buffalo Robe Biography,” in The Museum Journal, University of Pennsylvania, no. 17, 1926. Hassrick, Royal B. The Sioux: Life and Customs of a Warrior Society, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1964. Mails, Thomas E. The Mystic Warriors of the Plains, Doubleday & Company Inc., Garden City, New York, 1972. Penney, David. “Pictographic War Records,” in Art of the American Indian Frontier: The Chandler-Pohrt Collection, Detroit: the Detroit Institute of Art, Washington University Press, 1992. Vitard, Anne et al. Parures d’histoires : peaux de bisons peintes des Indiens d’Amérique du Nord, Paris: Réunion des musées nationaux, 1993. Young, Gloria. “The Visual Language of Plains Ledger Art,” in The Arts of the North American Indian: Native Tradition in Evolution, Tulsa: Philbrook Museum of Art/New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1986. FIG. 8: Eugène de Girardin, Indien aux yeux peints en jaune (Indian with Yellow- Painted Eyes). Watercolor on paper. 16 x 13 cm. Private collection. FIG. 9: Portrait presumed to be Eugène de Girardin (1828–1888). Albumen photographic print. 11 x 15 cm. Private collection. FIG. 10: Eugène de Girardin, Indien au fusil et au calumet (Indian with Calumet Pipe). Watercolor on paper. 19 x 30 cm. Private collection.
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