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
George Catlin, Wa-kon-chásh-kaw, He Who Comes on the Thunder, 1828, oil on canvas, 18 1⁄2 x 14 in. (47.0 x 35.7 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
Artist
Date
1828
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
18 1⁄2 x 14 in. (47.0 x 35.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Indian — Winnebago
  • Portrait male — He Who Comes On The Thunder
Object Number
1985.66.211
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/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)

Works by this artist (744 items)

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Artist
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William Zorach, Head of Abraham Walkowitz, 1943, plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Tessim Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar, 1968.154.130
Head of Abraham Walkowitz
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plaster
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William Zorach, Head of Robert Schwarzenbach, ca. 1930, marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Tessim Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar, 1968.154.150
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Artist
Dateca. 1930
marble
On view
William Zorach, Head of Eudora, ca. 1960, cast and painted plaster on wood base, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of the Zorach children, 1976.145.47
Head of Eudora
Artist
Dateca. 1960
cast and painted plaster on wood base
On view

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