McKenney, Thomas L. and James Hall “Pee-Che-Kir. A Chippewa Chief.”

Thomas L. McKenney and James Hall.  “Pee-Che-Kir. A Chippewa Chief.” From The History of the Indian Tribes of North America. 

Philadelphia: J. T. Bowen & Co., 1848-50.  5 ¾ x 5 (image).  Octavo edition.  Lithograph with original hand coloring. Very good condition.  A/A

A print from the octavo version of McKenney-Hall’s Portrait Gallery of American Indians.  These prints document an important part of American history, the great leaders of the Indian nations that have disappeared since the mid-19th century.  Thomas McKenney, head of the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs for many years, was a champion of the Indian and fought throughout his tenure to preserve something of their culture, so integral a part of the history of the United States.  His legacy was a gallery of portraits of the great chiefs for which he commissioned artists such as James Otto Lewis, Charles Bird King, and George Cooke.