The Painters of Indians
In 1821, head of the United State Office of Indian Affairs Thomas L. McKenney began to commission portraits of Indian chiefs. Considered to be a great honor for the chiefs, these portraits served two purposes for the United States:
1. Tohey served as a historical record of the treaty being signed.
2. The war department wanted a file of the Chiefs’ likenesses in case war broke out again.
For the studio portraits, McKenney hired Charles B. King, and for the field portraits, he hired James Lewis.
The door opened to others fascinated with the Native American, and soon other painters began historic journeys on the quest to capture the Indian forever in history.
Below is a list of some of the more famous painters and a brief biography.
George Catlin (1796-1892)
In 1830, George Catlin went with William Clark to the Great Plains to sketch and paint the Native Americans. By 1837, he had enough lithographs to open the Indian Gallery in New York at Clinton Hall. In 1839, he took these paintings to Europe, where they were a great hit.
In 1841, he published “Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs and Conditions of the North American Indian.”
Karl Bodmer (1809-1893)
In 1823, Karl Bodmer was selected by Prince Maximillian to go to the New World to explore the Mississippi River. The following year he decided to use the protection of the American Fur Company, owned by John Jacob Astor. His paintings were exhibited in Barbizon, France and the Paris Salon.
A Brief History of Karl Bodmer
Edward Curtis (1868-1952)
Edward Curtis had many accomplishments, among them owning his own portrait studio and inventing the gold and silver processes (“goldtones” and “silver tints”). By 1895, he started photographing Native Americans. By 1930 he had over 40,000 negatives of 80 different tribes, as well as documentation and pictures. By 1900 he is allowed to photograph the Sun Dance.
As well as a photographer, Edward Curtis was a writer, completing the first volume of The North American Indians in 1907. By 1930, he had completed volumes nineteen and twenty of The North American Indians, the last volumes of the series.
George Bird Grinnell (1849-1938)
George Bird Grinnell was a famous painter of the Native American as well. In 1886 he founded the first Audubon Society in Montana. In 1900 he invited Edward Curtis to join him in Montana. Mr. Grinnell also accompanied George Custer for an expedition in the Black Hills.
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