Chippewa (Ojibwe), Great Lakes region
1842
Hand colored lithograph
14 1/2 x 20 inches; matted 18 x 24 inches
Provenance: Private collection, Tucson, AZ
This hand colored lithograph portrait of Wesh-Cubb, a Chippewa Chief, comes from the first edition of McKenney and Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America, published by Rice and Clark of Philadelphia in 1842. The portrait collection was assembled by Thomas L. McKenney during his tenure as head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the three volume publication drew upon original paintings many of which were destroyed in the Smithsonian fire of 1865. The lithographs remain the only surviving visual record of numerous subjects in the series.
This example displays particularly vibrant and well preserved hand coloring, a quality that varies considerably across surviving copies and directly affects collector value. Listed on the contents page of Volume I, the Wesh-Cubb portrait is among the documented subjects of the first edition. From a Tucson private collection, it is a strong example of one of the most historically significant portrait series in the visual documentation of nineteenth century Native American leadership.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Chippewa (Ojibwe), Great Lakes region
1842
Hand colored lithograph
14 1/2 x 20 inches; matted 18 x 24 inches
Provenance: Private collection, Tucson, AZ
This hand colored lithograph portrait of Wesh-Cubb, a Chippewa Chief, comes from the first edition of McKenney and Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America, published by Rice and Clark of Philadelphia in 1842. The portrait collection was assembled by Thomas L. McKenney during his tenure as head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the three volume publication drew upon original paintings many of which were destroyed in the Smithsonian fire of 1865. The lithographs remain the only surviving visual record of numerous subjects in the series.
This example displays particularly vibrant and well preserved hand coloring, a quality that varies considerably across surviving copies and directly affects collector value. Listed on the contents page of Volume I, the Wesh-Cubb portrait is among the documented subjects of the first edition. From a Tucson private collection, it is a strong example of one of the most historically significant portrait series in the visual documentation of nineteenth century Native American leadership.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
