Seehk-hée-da, Mouse-colored Feather, a Noted Brave

George Catlin, Seehk-hée-da, Mouse-colored Feather, a Noted Brave, 1832, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.132
Copied George Catlin, Seehk-hée-da, Mouse-colored Feather, a Noted Brave, 1832, oil on canvas, 2924 in. (73.760.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.132
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Artwork Details

Title
Seehk-hée-da, Mouse-colored Feather, a Noted Brave
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
Keywords
  • Indian — Mandan
  • Portrait male — Mouse Colored Feather
Object Number
1985.66.132

Artwork Description

George Catlin took great care in describing the Mandan tribe. About their hair he wrote: “The diversity in the colour of hair is also equally as great as that in the complexion; for in a numerous group of these people (and more particularly amongst the females, who never take pains to change its natural colour, as the men often do), there may be seen every shade and colour of hair that can be seen in our own country, with the exception of red or auburn, which is not to be found.” Mouse-colored Feather posed “with a beautiful pipe in his hand,” and his hair was “quite yellow.” The artist painted this work at a Mandan village in 1832. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 1, no. 13, 1841, reprint 1973, and 1848 Catalogue, Catlin’s Indian Gallery, SAAM online exhibition)