Steeh-tcha-kó-me-co, Great King (called Ben Perryman), a Chief

George Catlin, Steeh-tcha-kó-me-co, Great King (called Ben Perryman), a Chief, 1834, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.288
Copied George Catlin, Steeh-tcha-kó-me-co, Great King (called Ben Perryman), a Chief, 1834, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.288
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Artwork Details

Title
Steeh-tcha-kó-me-co, Great King (called Ben Perryman), a Chief
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 — Perryman, Ben
  • Indian — Creek
  • Portrait male — Great King
Object Number
1985.66.288
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.288

Artwork Description

George Catlin described his images of Ben and Sam Perryman (see 1985.66.289) as “portraits of two distinguished men, and I believe, both chiefs . . . These two men are brothers, and are fair specimens of the tribe [Creek/Muskogee], who are mostly clad in calicoes, and other cloths of civilized manufacture; tasselled and fringed off by themselves in the most fantastic way, and sometimes with much true and picturesque taste.” Catlin painted this work at Fort Gibson, Arkansas Territory, in 1834. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 49, 1841; reprint 1973)