The United States government produced a series of unique coats to be given to the most highly regarded chiefs of various tribes, which they often wore as symbols of pride. Capturing the Chief’s Coat depicts a Blackfeet war party returning from a raid against the Crow. Along with many horses, they have taken the coat of the Crow chief as a trophy. To capture the precise action of the water, models on horseback had to enter and re-enter the river many times. As with his careful depiction of human figures and Native regalia, the details of water and landscape are critical to Terpning, who combines all of these elements to achieve powerful scenes and suggestive narratives.