Pah-te-cóo-saw, Straight Man, Semicivilized

George Catlin, Pah-te-cóo-saw, Straight Man, Semicivilized, 1830, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.280
Copied George Catlin, Pah-te-cóo-saw, Straight Man, Semicivilized, 1830, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.280
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Pah-te-cóo-saw, Straight Man, Semicivilized
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
  • Portrait male — Straight Man
  • Indian — Shawnee
Object Number
1985.66.280
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.280

Artwork Description

George Catlin recorded that when Pah-te-cóo-saw came to sit for his portrait, he had decorated his face “in a very curious manner with black and red paint.” The warrior has slightly European features and appears to be wearing a European shirt and coat. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 49, 1841; reprint 1973)