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The aboriginal port-folio: A collection of portraits of the most celebrated chiefs of the North American Indians

 Collection — Volume: V412
Identifier: V412

Scope and Contents

This partial portfolio includes 61 plates, hand-colored, representing early work of American lithographers Lehman and Duval, No. 7 Bank Alley, Philidelphia. 9 plates appear to be mounted to a blank page as part of the bindery process by the National Library Bindery Company. The tribes represented are Sioux, Menominee, Potawatomi, Chippewa, Winnebago, Fox, Sauk, Shawnee, Miami, Iowa and Ottawa. Each plate includes a brief description with the name, tribe and treaty site information. A majority of the drawings were completed at the sites of Prairie du Chien, 1825; Mississinewa, Indiana, 1827; Fort Wayne, 1827; Green Bay, 1827, and Butte des Morts, 1827. This bound volume includes 1 scene of a pipe dance and a tomahawk dance of the Chippewa.

Dates

  • 1836

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Literary rights, including copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their legal heirs and assigns. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts. The publisher must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Historical Note

The aboriginal portfolio was a published volume whose parts were issued monthly, plus additional loose lithographs of drawings; based on portraits made by James Otto Lewis of Native American chiefs who attended treaty negotiations in the upper midwestern United States, primarily in Wisconsin and Indiana, 1825-1833.

James Otto Lewis was employed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and completed 4 excursions to complete the illustrations. A majority of Lewis' work was completed during 1825-1827 and finished during 1827-1833. Lewis was the first artist to illustrate Native Americans in their natural environment.

Source:

The Aboriginal Port Folio, Or, A Collection Of Portraits Of the Most Celebrated Chiefs Of the North American Indians / By J.O. Lewis, Smithsonian Libraries: https://www.si.edu/object/siris_sil_513375

Extent

0.01 Cubic Feet (1 volume)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection includes one volume.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing and finding aid completed by Bethany Fiechter on 2019/11/07.
Title
The aboriginal port-folio: A collection of portraits of the most celebrated chiefs of the North American Indians
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671