Sky-se-ró-ka, Second Chief of the Tribe

George Catlin, Sky-se-ró-ka, Second Chief of the Tribe, 1834, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.56
Copied George Catlin, Sky-se-ró-ka, Second Chief of the Tribe, 1834, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.56
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Artwork Details

Title
Sky-se-ró-ka, Second Chief of the Tribe
Artist
Date
1834
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
  • Portrait male — Sky Se Ro Ka — bust
  • Portrait male — Sky Se Ro Ka
  • Indian — Wichita
Object Number
1985.66.56
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.56

Artwork Description

In 1834, George Catlin accompanied a regiment of United States Dragoons to visit the territory of the Comanche, Kiowa, and Wichita. While at a Comanche village, he met Wichita chief Sky-se-ró-ka, whom he described as “a fine-looking and remarkably shrewd and intelligent man.” The sensitive modeling of Sky-se-ró-ka's features compares favorably to Catlin's best work on the dragoon expedition. (Catlin, 1848 Catalogue, Catlin’s Indian Gallery, SAAM online exhibition; Truettner, The Natural Man Observed, 1979)