Kee-món-saw, Little Chief, a Chief

George Catlin, Kee-món-saw, Little Chief, a Chief, 1830, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.246
Copied George Catlin, Kee-món-saw, Little Chief, a Chief, 1830, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.246
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Artwork Details

Title
Kee-món-saw, Little Chief, a Chief
Artist
Date
1830
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
Keywords
  • Portrait male — Little Chief
  • Indian — Kaskaskia
Object Number
1985.66.246
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.246

Artwork Description

George Catlin described Little Chief, a chief of the Kaskaskia/Miami, as “half-civilized, and, I should think, half-breed . . . This young man is chief of the tribe; and I was told by one of the Traders, that his mother and his son, were his only subjects.” Catlin probably painted this portrait at Fort Leavenworth (in today’s Kansas) in 1830. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 47, 1841; reprint 1973)