The collection is of special interest because we not only know the names of the people to whom two of the robes belonged, we also have portraits of them. These pictures were painted by the artist, Karl Bodmer, who accompanied the prince on his journey. The portraits are of the Mandan chief, Mato-Tope (Four Bears), and the Hidatsa chief, Pehriska-Ruhpa (Two Ravens), whose robes depict special events in their lives in symbolic forms. Another exhibit in this 'gallery of buffalo robes' is richly painted with animal figures, while the fourth, decorated with abstract patterns, is an example of a typical woman's robe.

The Mandan chief, Mato Tope (Four Bears)
Coloured etching after a painting by Karl Bodmer, 1833