Wee-tá-ra-shá-ro, Head Chief of the Tribe

George Catlin, Wee-tá-ra-shá-ro, Head Chief of the Tribe, 1834, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.55
Copied George Catlin, Wee-tá-ra-shá-ro, Head Chief of the Tribe, 1834, oil on canvas, 2924 in. (73.760.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.55
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Artwork Details

Title
Wee-tá-ra-shá-ro, Head 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 — Wee Ta Ra Sha Ro
  • Portrait male — Wee Ta Ra Sha Ro — bust
Object Number
1985.66.55

Artwork Description

“This man embraced Colonel Dodge and others of the dragoon officers in council, in his village, and otherwise treated them with great kindness, theirs being the first visit ever made to them by white people”. The subject was over ninety years old, according to George Catlin, and sat for his portrait at a Comanche village in 1834. (Catlin, 1848 Catalogue, Catlin’s Indian Gallery, SAAM online exhibition; Truettner, The Natural Man Observed, 1979)