E’e-a-chín-che‑a, Red Thunder, Son of Black Moccasin

George Catlin, E'e-a-chín-che-a, Red Thunder, Son of Black Moccasin, 1832, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.172
Copied George Catlin, E'e-a-chín-che-a, Red Thunder, Son of Black Moccasin, 1832, oil on canvas, 2924 in. (73.760.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.172
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Artwork Details

Title
E’e-a-chín-che‑a, Red Thunder, Son of Black Moccasin
Date
1832
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2924 in. (73.760.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Dress — Indian dress
  • Indian — Hidatsa
  • Portrait male — Red Thunder — full length
  • Object — weapon — bow and arrow
  • Dress — accessory — shield
Object Number
1985.66.172

Artwork Description

“The son of [Hidatsa chief] Black Moccasin . . . who is reputed one of the most desperate warriors of his tribe, I have also painted at full length, in his war-dress, with his bow in his hand, his quiver slung, and his shield upon his arm. In this plight, [without] headdress, [without] robe, and [without] everything that might be an useless incumbrance---with the body chiefly naked, and profusely bedaubed with red and black paint, so as to form an almost perfect disguise, the Indian warriors invariably sally forth to war.” George Catlin painted Red Thunder at a Hidatsa village in 1832. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 1, no. 23, 1841; reprint 1973)