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Hoo-wa-ne-ka A Winnebago Chief Print

Currency:USD Category:Art / General - Photography Start Price:700.00 USD Estimated At:1,400.00 - 1,700.00 USD
Hoo-wa-ne-ka A Winnebago Chief Print
Preview
Holabird-Kagin Americana Office
3555 Airway Drive Suite#309
Reno, NV 89511
Thursday April 11, 10am-6pm
* Preview also available by appointment

Live Auction
Friday & Saturday
April 12-13, 2012
9am PDT starting time, both days

Location
Atlantis Casino & Resort
Grand Ballroom #4
3800 S. Virginia Street
Reno, NV 89502

Lot Pick Up
Holabird-Kagin Americana Office
3555 Airway Drive Suite #309
Reno, NV 89511
Sunday April 14th, 10am-1pm

“First Edition Lithograph after the original oils by Charles Bird King and James Otto Lewis 1836-1844”
This print measures 10.5 x 15 and the mat measures 20 x 16. There is very little wear and the print is in fine condition. Hoo-Wan-Ne-Ka or "Little Elk," a Winnebago war chief, fought for the British in the War of 1812. Afterwards, he swore allegiance to the United States and later signed treaties at the Prairie du Chien council in 1825 and at Fort Armstrong in 1832. In 1824, Hoo-Wan-Ne-Ka traveled the the White House where he addressed President Monroe and Congress. In this portrait, originally painted by James Otto Lewis and later copied by Charles Bird King, he wears a Presidential peace medal around his neck and carries a tomahawk. Col. McKenney described Hoo-Wa-Ne-Ka’s appearance as as "fantastic" and "wild and picturesque. HKA#63688
McKenney and Hall’s History of the Indian Tribes of North America has long been renowned for its faithful portraits of chiefs, warriors and women of various Native American tribes.

Col. Thomas J. McKenney was a champion of Native American causes, and fought throughout his tenure to preserve something of their culture; such an integral part of the history of the United States. Hired in 1816 as the head of the United Stated Bureau of Indian Affairs, McKenney shortly thereafter began to plan an archive that would house Indian memorabilia. Between 1821-24, several delegations of Native Americans came to Washington to see President Monroe. McKenney took advantage of this opportune time to record their likenesses, commissioning Charles King and, to a lesser extent, James Lewis. More paintings were added to these over the years resulting in an impressive gallery of Indian portraiture.

In 1830, McKenney was dismissed by President Jackson and subsequently began to work the publication of a folio of the portraits. Completed 1836, the plates for the first edition were first published in 1832. The folio was a collaborative effort, the text written by James Hall based on information, which McKenney supplied. The magnitude of the project was overwhelming; McKenney battled poverty, politics, and printers to achieve his goal.

In 1865, a fire at the Smithsonian destroyed almost all of the original paintings from which the lithographs were drawn. The prints from the remaining folios are thus vital in their role as faithful recordings of Native American and pre-Civil War history.