Litho “History of the Indian Tribes of North America” McKenney & Hall 1838

Description: RARE Lithograph “History of the Indian Tribes of North America” McKenney & Hall. RARE ORIGINAL (Not a Copy) Hand Colored Lithograph “History of the Indian Tribes of North America” McKenney & Hall. Published 1836–18 44. This is a large lithograph 20 by 14 inches, not the smaller version. By Charles Bird King, This portrait is Meta-Koosega, (Pure Tobacco) a Chippeway Warrior from “The History of the Indian Tribes of North America,” ca. 1838 Size is 20 inches by 14 inches There is a penciled catalogue number on the bottom right corner. The back has pieces of hinging tape. There is a slight tear where the hinge on the right hand side is. I have a picture of it. There is discoloring on the background around the indian of the print where the picture mat sat for many years. It is a dark brown line that shows where the matting was. The first photograph shows how the lithograph appears without any mat. When I photographed the lithograph with the mat on the dark brown line, the line is not seen but it is evident when I photograph the lithograph without the mat. The edge in photo 2 and 3 shows where it was hinged in a book. These are tiny little holes. The last picture shows the lithograph with a mat which is probably why the original print has the brown lines around the image , because the mat caused aging in areas that were exposed to the air. This lovely lithograph will be shipped without glass and without the mat that is shown in the last photograph. Col. Thomas J. McKenney was Superintendant of The Bureau of Indian Affairs from 1816 until 1830. He was one of a very few government officials to defend American Indian interests and attempt to preserve their culture. He travelled to Indian lands meeting the Native American leaders. He brought with him an accomplished artist, James Otto Lewis, who sketched those willing to participate. A large number of the most influential Indian chiefs and warriors were later invited to come to Washington in 1821 to meet President Monroe. McKenney commissioned the prominent portrait painter Charles Bird King, who had a studio in the capital, to paint these native American leaders, who chose the costumes they wished to wear for the sitting. The magnificent resultant paintings were displayed in the War Department until 1858, and were then moved to the Smithsonian Institute. When Andrew Jackson dismissed McKenney in 1830, he gave him permission to have the King portraits as well as some by other artists, including George Catlin and James Otto Lewis, copied and made into lithographs, in both folio and octavo sizes. McKenney partnered with James C. Hall, a Cincinnati judge and novelist to publish the lithographs and the text written by Hall. The work was extremely expensive to create and nearly bankrupted McKenney, as well as the two printing firms who invested in its publication. The resultant work gained importance when Catlin's paintings were destroyed in a warehouse fire and Charles Bird King's and James Otto Lewis’ portraits were destroyed in the great Smithsonian Museum fire of 1865. The McKenney and Hall portraits remain the most complete and colorful record of these pre-Civil War Native American leaders.

Price: 175 USD

Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma

End Time: 2024-11-25T17:39:17.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD