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, 2924 in. (73.760.9 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
Date
1834
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 — Wichita
  • Portrait male — Sky Se Ro Ka
  • Portrait male — Sky Se Ro Ka — bust
Object Number
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)