Coo-coo-coo, The Owl, an Aged Chief

George Catlin, Coo-coo-coo, The Owl, an Aged Chief, 1836, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.232
Copied George Catlin, Coo-coo-coo, The Owl, an Aged Chief, 1836, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.232
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Coo-coo-coo, The Owl, an Aged Chief
Artist
Date
1836
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — Owl — elderly
  • Indian — Menominee
Object Number
1985.66.232
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.232

Artwork Description

George Catlin described Menominee chief Coo-coo-coo as a “very aged and emaciated chief, whom I painted at Green Bay, in Fort Howard. He had been a distinguished man, but now in his dotage, being more than 100 years old---and a great pet of the surgeon and officers of the post.” This portrait was painted in 1836 when Catlin stopped at Green Bay on his way to the Pipestone Quarry. (Truettner, The Natural Man Observed, 1979)