George Catlin, Wa-ho-béck-ee, a Handsome Brave, 1834, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.33
Free to use
Copied
Artwork Details
- Title
- Wa-ho-béck-ee, a Handsome Brave
- Artist
- Date
- 1834
- 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
- Indian — Osage
- Dress — accessory — fan
- Dress — Indian dress
- Portrait male — Wa Ho Beck Ee — waist length
- Object Number
- 1985.66.33
Artwork Description
This member of the Osage tribe sat for his portrait in characteristic tribal markings, including a painted and shaved head as well as a painted upper body. George Catlin described Wa-ho-béck-ee as “a brave; said to be the handsomest man in the nation; with a profusion of wampum on his neck, and a fan in his hand made of the eagle's tail.” Wa-ho-béck-ee sat for his portrait at Fort Gibson (in present-day Oklahoma) in 1834. (Catlin, 1848 Catalogue, Catlin’s Indian Gallery, SAAM online exhibition)
