Wah-pe-séh-see, Mother of the Chief

George Catlin, Wah-pe-séh-see, Mother of the Chief, 1830, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.247
Copied George Catlin, Wah-pe-séh-see, Mother of the Chief, 1830, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.247
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Wah-pe-séh-see, Mother of the Chief
Artist
Date
1830
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
  • Indian — Kaskaskia
  • Portrait female — Wah Pe Seh See
Object Number
1985.66.247
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.247

Artwork Description

Wah-pe-séh-see was the mother of the Kaskaskia/Miami chief Kee-món-saw, or Little Chief (see 1985.66.246). George Catlin, who described her as “a very aged woman,” probably painted her portrait at Fort Leavenworth (in today’s Kansas) in 1830. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 47, 1841; reprint 1973)