Pa-hú-sha, White Hair, the Younger, a Band Chief

George Catlin, Pa-hú-sha, White Hair, the Younger, a Band Chief, 1834, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.43
Copied George Catlin, Pa-hú-sha, White Hair, the Younger, a Band Chief, 1834, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.43
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Pa-hú-sha, White Hair, the Younger, a Band Chief
Artist
Date
1834
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
  • Dress — Indian dress
  • Indian — Osage
  • Portrait male — White Hair — full length
  • Object — weapon — spear
Object Number
1985.66.43
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.43

Artwork Description

“The White Hair is another distinguished leader of the Osages; and some have awarded to him the title of Head Chief; but in the jealous feelings of rivalry which have long agitated this tribe, and some times, even endangered its peace, I believe it has been generally agreed that his claims are third in the tribe; though he justly claims the title of a chief, and a very gallant and excellent man. The portrait of this man, I regret to say, I did not get.” George Catlin probably painted this image at Fort Gibson (in present-day Oklahoma) in 1834. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 38, 1841, reprint 1973; Truettner, The Natural Man Observed, 1979)