Tlo-be-nel-ly

Elbridge Ayer Burbank, Tlo-be-nel-ly, 1910, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Victor Justice Evans, 1985.66.362,069
Copied Elbridge Ayer Burbank, Tlo-be-nel-ly, 1910, oil on canvas, 30 1⁄4 x 17 1⁄2 in. (76.8 x 44.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Victor Justice Evans, 1985.66.362,069

Artwork Details

Title
Tlo-be-nel-ly
Artist
Date
1910
Location
Dimensions
30 1⁄4 x 17 1⁄2 in. (76.8 x 44.4 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Victor Justice Evans
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — Tlo-Be-Nel-Ly — full length
  • Indian — Navajo
  • Dress — Indian dress
Object Number
1985.66.362,069
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.362,069

Artwork Description

Elbridge Ayer Burbank wanted to portray as many American Indians as possible because he considered their very survival to be threatened. By 1914 he had created more than 1200 portraits that, displayed together, had the effect of turning his sitters into types instead of individuals. He dressed his subjects in costumes, weapons, and war paint for an “authentic” effect, yet most of Burbank’s sitters were fully assimilated into the modern world. For example, Tlo-be-nel-ly’s flowered trousers were likely mass-produced, but the artist masked this modern reality with a colorful array of handwoven blankets and jewelry.