Múk-a-tah-mish-o-káh-kaik, Black Hawk, Prominent Sac Chief

George Catlin, Múk-a-tah-mish-o-káh-kaik, Black Hawk, Prominent Sac Chief, 1832, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.2
George Catlin, Múk-a-tah-mish-o-káh-kaik, Black Hawk, Prominent Sac Chief, 1832, oil on canvas, 2924 in. (73.760.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.2
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Múk-a-tah-mish-o-káh-kaik, Black Hawk, Prominent Sac Chief
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
Subjects
  • Dress — Indian dress
  • Indian — Sauk and Fox
  • Portrait male — Black Hawk
  • Portrait male — Black Hawk — bust
Object Number
1985.66.2

Artwork Description

“When I painted this chief, he was dressed in a plain suit of buckskin, with strings of wampum in his ears and on his neck, and held in his hand, his medicine-bag, which was the skin of a black hawk, from which he had taken his name, and the tail of which made him a fan, which he was almost constantly using.” (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 56, 1841; reprint 1973)

Works by this artist (625 items)

George Catlin, Two Young Men, 1835 or 1836, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.235-236
Two Young Men
Date1835 or 1836
oil on canvas
On view
George Catlin, Sioux Dog Feast, 1832-1837, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.494
Sioux Dog Feast
Date1832-1837
oil on canvas
On view

More Artworks from the Collection

Louis M. Eilshemius, Pale Blue Landscape, n.d., oil on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Emil J. Arnold, 1967.56.6
Pale Blue Landscape
Daten.d.
oil on paper mounted on paperboard
Not on view
George Catlin, Round Island, a Warrior, 1831, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.265
Round Island, a Warrior
Date1831
oil on canvas
Not on view
George Catlin, Men-són-se-ah, Left Hand, a Warrior, 1830, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.255
Men-són-se-ah, Left Hand, a Warrior
Date1830
oil on canvas
Not on view