Téh-tóot-sah (better known as Tohausen, Little Bluff), First Chief

George Catlin, Téh-tóot-sah (better known as Tohausen, Little Bluff), First Chief, 1834, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.62
George Catlin, Téh-tóot-sah (better known as Tohausen, Little Bluff), First Chief, 1834, oil on canvas, 2924 in. (73.760.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.62
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Artwork Details

Title
Téh-tóot-sah (better known as Tohausen, Little Bluff), First Chief
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
Subjects
  • Indian — Kiowa
  • Occupation — other — chief
  • Portrait male — Tohausen — waist length
  • Portrait male — Teh Toot Sah — waist length
  • Portrait male — Little Bluff — waist length
Object Number
1985.66.62

Artwork Description

Téh-tóot-sah, the head chief of the Kiowa, was described by George Catlin as “a very gentlemanly and high minded man, who treated the dragoons and officers with great kindness while in his country. His long hair, which was put up in several large clubs and ornamented with a great many silver broaches, extended quite down to his knees.” Catlin’s ability to see Indians as “gentlemanly and high minded,” when so many other white Americans saw them only as uncivilized, may reflect the strong influence of Enlightenment ideas in Philadelphia during Catlin’s youth. Catlin painted Téh-tóot-sah at a Comanche village in 1834. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 43, 1841; reprint 1973)

Works by this artist (1 item)

Smillies, Plaque, 1400-1500, ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.8.240.10
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