Bread, Chief of the Tribe

George Catlin, Bread, Chief of the Tribe, 1831, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.270
Copied George Catlin, Bread, Chief of the Tribe, 1831, oil on canvas, 21 1⁄4 x 16 1⁄2 in. (53.9 x 42.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.270
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Bread, Chief of the Tribe
Artist
Date
1831
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
21 1⁄4 x 16 1⁄2 in. (53.9 x 42.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — Bread
  • Indian — Oneida
Object Number
1985.66.270
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.270

Artwork Description

George Catlin probably painted this image of the Oneida chief Bread in Washington, D.C. in 1831. The artist found his subject to be “a shrewd and talented man, well educated---speaking good English---[he] is handsome, and a polite and gentlemanly man in his deportment.” Catlin also described Bread as “half-blood.” The artist apparently devoted some time to painting Bread, as the portrait is one of the most perceptive and carefully finished of the period. (Truettner, The Natural Man Observed, 1979)