Eé-Shah-Kó-Nee, Bow And Quiver, First Chief of The Tribe
1834
George Catlin traveled thousands of miles across the American frontier in the 1830s, desperate to paint Native American leaders before their cultures vanished. Here, he captures Eé-Shah-Kó-Nee, the First Chief of his tribe, with a striking gaze and adorned with eagle feathers and a large claw necklace. Catlin's 'Indian Gallery' eventually grew to over 500 paintings, serving as a crucial, though sometimes romanticized, historical record of Indigenous life. The chief's dignified pose and the soft, cloudy background highlight Catlin's desire to present his subjects with the same grandeur as European nobility.
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