This is one of the more desirable of the McKenney and Hall plates because it involve two figures and depicts a female and her child. It is completely original, as are all of the McKenney Hall engravings that I have listed. It is from the McKenney and Hall iconic three volume series “Indian Tribes of North America”; which seeks to document and memorialize 120 Indians from different tribes across the early 19th century Western United States. This example is entitled “CHIPPEWAY SQUAW & CHILD” and portrays an Indian woman from the Chippewa tribe carrying her baby in an ornately and highly colorful papoose. The Chippewa tribe, also known as Ojibwe were indigenous people in the Northern United States and Southern Canada in close proximity to the Great Lakes region. The “Squaw” is hand colored with a navy cloak and red leggings; flesh tones with black hair; the papoose is brightly painted in red, black, and white striping; while the landscape background is in varying muted natural tones of green and brown. It is a full page folio (uncut) and has no restoration, repairs or touch up paint of any kind. There is some visible foxing and discoloration in the open field (see images). The page is nearly 200 years old.
The inscription underneath the image documents the genesis of the folio stating; “Published by F.W. Greenough, Philad”; followed by “Drawn, printed, & coloured at L.T. Bowen’s Lithographic Establishment No. 94 Walnut Street”. Bottom line “Entered according to act of Congress in the Year 1836 by F.W. Greenough in the Clerks Office of the District Court of The Eastern District of Penn.”
Whether pursuing the accumulation of multiple McKenney and Hall lithographs or simply wanting a stand alone piece, this is simply a wonderful work of art to add to a collection of Americana or Native American Indians, in addition to having meaningful historical importance.
Dimensions:
20″ high x 13 3/.4″ wide (actual folio)
31″ high x 27″ wide (actual frame)
19 1/2″ high x 15 1/4″ wide (matte exposure
16″ high x 12″ wide (image exposure)
Frame: Folio is mounted in beautiful double wooden oak; and double gilt lined 19th century period frame. professionally framed with archival consideration and backing; and a complimentary preservation cut matte The gilt is designed with free form floral, blooms, wreath, and tree branch fauna. There is a slight loss to the upper right exterior of the first gilt cut—hardly noticeable; see images).
Provenance: From my own personal collection of 19th century Native American Indian Western Americana and fine art. Images of complete folio are from my initial acquisition for authentication.
Prior: W. Graham Arader III Gallery.
Images of complete folio are from my initial acquisition for authentication.
Note: Please see other McKenney & Hall hand painted lithographs I have for sale.
Background:
Thomas McKenney had been appointed superintendent of Indian Trade and had conceived the idea of traveling the western United States to document America’s Native American Indian Tribes. Along with Catlin’s “North American Indian Portfolio”, these are the two most important works of 19th century North American Indian study. McKenney’s work was based on his travel of the west in the late 1820’s. Thomas Hall was the “academia” member of the team who joined later upon McKenney’s return. Charles Bird King painted the Indian portraits, which hung in the Indian Gallery of the War Department. One by one the chiefs and other Indians were brought in to sit for portraits. Other portraits were loosely based on another “in the field” painter who had traveled with McKenney, named J.O. Lewis. The book with the folios and hand-painted lithographs was done in 1836. The significance of this is, that following the transfer of the paintings to the Smithsonian, all of the paintings were destroyed in a fire in 1865. So all we have to chronicle those images are these McKenney-Hall lithographs.
Three publishers were used to complete the three volumes between 1836–1844
1) Edward C. Biddle published the first part in 1836
2) Frederick W. Greenough published subsequent parts in 1838 and into the 1940’s
3) Daniel Rice & James G. Clark continued the project and completed the three volumes between 1842 and 1844
Any complete versions of McKenney’s folio work are very rare and exist in a few private collections, museums, the Smithsonian etc. There are very few complete versions and most of the lithographs have been removed for framing to display, as was this one. This is an authentic and original first edition dated 1843 from the “History of The Indian Tribes of North America” by McKenney and Hall.
Note: I am a second generation antiques dealer and have been in business, buying, selling, and collecting, for 50 years; I am also a member of several prestigious antique associations. Thus, I am well qualified to inspect and evaluate the products I offer for sale and I guarantee this to be authentic and as I have described.