The Flute Player

Media - 1985.66.362,047 - SAAM-1985.66.362047_1 - 8877
Copied Edwin Willard Deming, The Flute Player, n.d., oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Victor Justice Evans, 1985.66.362,047
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
The Flute Player
Artist
Date
n.d.
Location
Dimensions
20 x 28 in. (50.8 x 71.1 cm.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Victor Justice Evans
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Landscape — tree
  • Animal — bear
  • Indian
  • Performing arts — music — flute
  • Figure male
Object Number
1985.66.362,047
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.362,047

Artwork Description

Edwin Willard Deming grew up among the Winnebago Indians and devoted his career to picturing Native Americans as peaceful and noble figures. This scene shows the mythical “Indian Orpheus” charming wild animals with the sound of his flute. The brightly colored leaves blanketing the ground and the wide eyes of the animals create a magical kingdom far from the nation’s urban centers. With the onset of industrialization, imaginary, romantic views of Native American life were widely collected by comfortable, middle-class Americans.