Hand

Copied Joseph Henry Sharp, Hand, ca. 1900, oil on canvas, 18 x 12 in. (45.7 x 30.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1985.66.209,421

Artwork Details

Title
Hand
Artist
Date
ca. 1900
Location
Dimensions
18 x 12 in. (45.7 x 30.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Indian — Sioux
  • Portrait male — Hand
Object Number
1985.66.209,421
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.209,421

Artwork Description

Hand was a Sioux Indian of Pine Ridge from the northern Plains. In this portrait he wears a buffalo-hide sash and feathers that identify him as a warrior and chief. His weathered face and piercing eyes reveal a proud but weary man. In the summer of 1899, Joseph Henry Sharp visited the Crow Agency in Montana, where many tribes, including the Sioux, attended a Crow Council. It is possible that he painted Hand from life, but he likely completed the painting in his studio using a photograph, a common practice of the artist. (Sharp to Mr. Ewers, August 9, 1948; Fenn, The Beat of the Drum and the Whoop of the Dance, 1983)