On-sáw-kie, The Sauk, in the Act of Praying

George Catlin, On-sáw-kie, The Sauk, in the Act of Praying, 1830, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.237
George Catlin, On-sáw-kie, The Sauk, in the Act of Praying, 1830, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.237
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
On-sáw-kie, The Sauk, in the Act of Praying
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
Subjects
  • Indian — Potawatomi
  • Portrait male — Sauk
  • Recreation — church — prayer
Object Number
1985.66.237
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.237

Artwork Description

The Sauk, a member of the Potawatomi/Prairie Band, was probably painted by George Catlin at Fort Leavenworth (in today’s Kansas) in 1830. He described the Sauk as “in the act of praying; his prayer written in characters on a maple stick.” (Truettner, The Natural Man Observed, 1979)

Works by this artist (4 items)

Anna K. Weaver, Cast thy Anchor in Heaven, n.d., albumen silver print of a photogram, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Moore, 2010.53.2
Cast thy Anchor in Heaven
Artist
Daten.d.
albumen silver print of a photogram
Not on view
Anna K. Weaver, No Cross, No Crown, 1874, albumen silver print of a photogram, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase from the Charles Isaacs Collection made possible in part by the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1994.91.284
No Cross, No Crown
Artist
Date1874
albumen silver print of a photogram
Not on view
Anna K. Weaver, The Lord Will Provide, 1877, albumen print on paper, in vintage frame, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Patricia Tobacco Forrester Endowment, 2022.29
The Lord Will Provide
Artist
Date1877
albumen print on paper, in vintage frame
Not on view
Anna K. Weaver, The Lord is Risen, 1877, albumen photogram print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Patricia Tobacco Forrester Endowment, 2023.14
The Lord is Risen
Artist
Date1877
albumen photogram print
Not on view

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