The Scalp-Dance of the Sioux c. 1842

"The Scalp-Dance of the Sioux" (c. 1842) is a dramatic illustration by American artist Felix Octavius Carr Darley, depicting a group of Sioux warriors engaged in a scalp dance, a ritualistic celebration of victory in battle. The work captures the raw energy and ferocity of the event, as the figures dance and gesture with a mixture of aggression and ritualistic reverence. It is notable for its detailed portrayal of Sioux clothing and weaponry, and for its portrayal of the Native American culture of the time, albeit through a lens of romanticized, late-19th-century western artistic sensibility.