Om-pah-tón-ga, Big Elk, a Famous Warrior

George Catlin, Om-pah-tón-ga, Big Elk, a Famous Warrior, 1832, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.114
George Catlin, Om-pah-tón-ga, Big Elk, a Famous Warrior, 1832, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.114
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Artwork Details

Title
Om-pah-tón-ga, Big Elk, a Famous Warrior
Artist
Date
1832
Location
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
  • Dress — Indian dress
  • Dress — accessory — jewelry
  • Indian — Omaha
  • Portrait male — Big Elk — full length
  • Object — weapon — axe
Object Number
1985.66.114
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.114

Artwork Description

A warrior of the Omaha tribe, Big Elk sat for his portrait, according to George Catlin, “with his tomahawk in his hand, and face painted black, for war.” Catlin probably painted this image at Fort Leavenworth (in today’s Kansas) in 1832. Big Elk also sat for artist Charles Bird King (1785-1862) some years earlier in Washington. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 34, 1841; reprint 1973)

Works by this artist (4 items)

John Henry Brown, Mrs. John Jordan, Jr., 1848, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1952.5.3
Mrs. John Jordan, Jr.
Artist
Date1848
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
John Henry Brown, Mrs. John Willis Ellis (Mary White), 1846, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1938.11.2
Mrs. John Willis Ellis (Mary White)
Artist
Date1846
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
John Henry Brown, James Buchanan, ca. 1865, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Harriet Lane Johnston, 1906.9.2
James Buchanan
Artist
Dateca. 1865
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
John Henry Brown, Harriet Lane Johnston, 1878, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of May S. Kennedy, 1928.1.1
Harriet Lane Johnston
Artist
Date1878
watercolor on ivory
Not on view

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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
Artist
Date1831
oil on canvas
Not on view
A. Patrick, Mrs. Benajah Johnson, 1830, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Frank Cummings Cook, 1966.71.2
Mrs. Benajah Johnson
Artist
Date1830
oil on canvas
Not on view
George Catlin, Wa-sáw-me-saw, Roaring Thunder, Youngest Son of Black Hawk, 1832, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.4
Wa-sáw-me-saw, Roaring Thunder, Youngest Son of Black Hawk
Artist
Date1832
oil on canvas
Not on view