Wa-kon-chásh-kaw, He Who Comes on the Thunder

George Catlin, Wa-kon-chásh-kaw, He Who Comes on the Thunder, 1828, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.211
Copied George Catlin, Wa-kon-chásh-kaw, He Who Comes on the Thunder, 1828, oil on canvas, 18 1214 in. (47.035.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.211
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Artwork Details

Title
Wa-kon-chásh-kaw, He Who Comes on the Thunder
Date
1828
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
18 1214 in. (47.035.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Indian — Winnebago
  • Portrait male — He Who Comes On The Thunder
Object Number
1985.66.211

Artwork Description

Before he began his extensive travels in the West, George Catlin found his first Indian subjects in the East. Nine members of a Winnebago delegation from present-day Wisconsin sat for him in Washington, D.C., in 1828. Catlin wrote that he had painted the portraits of “Won-de-tow-a (the wonder), Wa-kon-chash-kaw (he who comes on the thunder), Nau-naw-pay-ee (the soldier), Span-e-o-nee-kaw (the Spaniard) Hoo-wan-ee-kaw (the little elk), No-ah-choo-she-kaw (he who breaks the bushes), and Naugh-haigh-ke-kaw (he who moistens the wood), all distinguished men of the tribe; and all at full length, as they will be seen standing in my Collection.” (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 52, 1841; reprint 1973)