MARY SULLY

Mary Sully (born Susan Mabel Deloria) was a Yankton Dakota artist whose work was largely unknown until the early 21st century. Her father was Tipi Sapa (Black Lodge), also called Philip Deloria; her mother was Mary Sully, who she named herself after. She is also a descendant of 19th-century artist Thomas Sully, a painter who made the portrait of Andrew Jackson used on the twenty-dollar bill.

Mary spent much of her life struggling with her mental health and had a very close relationship with her sister, anthropologist Ella Cara Deloria. Together, they traveled around the country, visiting various Native American communities, where Mary could observe many different traditional and creative art forms. Her art mainly consisted of three-paneled works (triptychs) that she called “personality portraits” of celebrities, public figures, and pop culture personas.