Co-Ee-Há-Jo, a Chief
1838
George Catlin traveled extensively through the American West in the 1830s, desperate to document Native American cultures before they vanished. Here, he captures Co-Ee-Há-Jo, a chief, with a striking intensity, holding a rifle and wearing a distinctive feathered headdress and patterned sash. Catlin's brushwork is loose yet expressive, giving the chief a dignified and powerful presence against a cloudy, atmospheric background. These portraits were part of his ambitious 'Indian Gallery,' a traveling exhibition that brought the faces of the frontier to Eastern audiences who had never seen them before.
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