Prairie Chicken

Edward Kemeys, Prairie Chicken, ca. 1870s, bronze, 15 ¹⁄₂ x 8 x 8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Charlotte J. Patterson and Herbert L. Patterson in memory of Elizabeth Z. Patterson, 2002.78

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Artwork Details

Title: Prairie Chicken
Artist: Edward Kemeys
Date: ca. 1870s
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 15 ¹⁄₂ x 8 x 8 in.
Credit Line: Gift of Charlotte J. Patterson and Herbert L. Patterson in memory of Elizabeth Z. Patterson
Mediums Description: bronze
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Animal — bird — grouse
Object Number: 2002.78
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2002.78

Artwork Description

In the 1860s and 1870s, prairie chicken leks, or breeding grounds, were a common sight across the Midwest. As more settlers moved westward, however, farmers converted tall-grass prairie to cropland. Edward Kemeys's sculpting career began just before prairie chicken populations shrank from habitat loss. Here he preserves and celebrates the male of the species by accurately depicting the bird's form, paying particular attention to the characteristic eyebrow texture and long pointed neck feathers, called pinnae. Kemeys also took care when modeling the bird's posture. The angled pinnae show this male poised for display or attack.