Te-ah’-ke-ra-lée-re-coo, The Cheyenne, a Republican Pawnee

George Catlin, Te-ah'-ke-ra-lée-re-coo, The Cheyenne, a Republican Pawnee, 1832, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.107
Copied George Catlin, Te-ah'-ke-ra-lée-re-coo, The Cheyenne, a Republican Pawnee, 1832, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.107
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Artwork Details

Title
Te-ah’-ke-ra-lée-re-coo, The Cheyenne, a Republican Pawnee
Artist
Date
1832
Location
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
  • Recreation — leisure — smoking
  • Dress — Indian dress
  • Dress — accessory — jewelry
  • Indian — Pawnee
  • Portrait male — Cheyenne — full length
  • Object — weapon — whip
Object Number
1985.66.107
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.107

Artwork Description

George Catlin described The Cheyenne as a “fine-looking fellow, with a pipe in one hand and his whip in the other.” This portrait reveals Catlin’s working methods in the West, in which he would sketch the entire figure in brown, model the details of the head and torso, and often leave the rest of the body unfinished. The Pawnee shown here wears a peace medal around his neck, suggesting that he was among those who traveled to Washington during the government’s campaign to win alliances among the Native American nations. (Catlin, 1848 Catalogue, Catlin’s Indian Gallery, SAAM online exhibition)