Historical Costume Figure Returns to the Karl May Museum

After three years of restoration, the historic costume figure of a Blackfoot woman has returned to the Karl May Museum in Radebeul. In the presence of actor Gojko Mitic (86), the previously nameless figure was christened “Sitopanaki” to mark her return. This was the name of a character in the popular film “The Sons of the Great Bear,” which launched Mitic’s career in 1966. 

Karl May’s second wife, Klara, had commissioned the sculptor Vittorio Güttner (1869–1935) to create the museum’s first three lifelike figures as authentically as possible. The sculptor modeled an Apache warrior, an Iroquois chief, and a young Blackfoot woman, whom the artist Wilhelm Emil “Elk” Eber (1892–1941) brought to life with his paintwork. The figures have been part of the exhibition at the Karl May Museum since 1928.

15,000 euros were invested in the restoration to faithfully restore the figure’s body, clothing, and accessories to their original condition. Mitić had raised funds during a reading tour.