Begging Dance, Sauk and Fox

George Catlin, Begging Dance, Sauk and Fox, 1835-1837, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.439
George Catlin, Begging Dance, Sauk and Fox, 1835-1837, oil on canvas, 19 5⁄8 x 27 1⁄2 in. (49.7 x 70.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.439
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Begging Dance, Sauk and Fox
Artist
Date
1835-1837
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
19 5⁄8 x 27 1⁄2 in. (49.7 x 70.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group — male
  • Ceremony — Indian
  • Indian — Sauk and Fox
  • Ceremony — dance — Begging Dance
Object Number
1985.66.439
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.439

Artwork Description

“The Begging Dance is a frequent amusement, and one that has been practiced with some considerable success at this time, whilst there have been so many distinguished and liberal visitors here. It is got up by a number of desperate and long-winded fellows, who will dance and yell their visitors into liberality; or, if necessary, laugh them into it, by their strange antics, singing a song of importunity, and extending their hands for presents, which they allege are to gladden the hearts of the poor, and ensure a blessing to the giver.” George Catlin initially sketched this scene at a Sac and Fox village in 1835. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 56, 1841; reprint 1973)

Works by this artist (4 items)

Hubert Davis, Delaware Waters, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.43
Delaware Waters
Artist
lithograph
Not on view
Hubert Davis, Central Park Roadways, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.41
Central Park Roadways
Artist
lithograph
Not on view
Hubert Davis, Cornpatch in Dusk, ca. 1935-1943, lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.42
Cornpatch in Dusk
Artist
Dateca. 1935-1943
lithograph on paper
Not on view
Hubert Davis, Window in the Valley, 1937, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from D.C. Public Library, 1967.72.78
Window in the Valley
Artist
Date1937
lithograph
Not on view

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