McKenney Hall, Pl. 113 Waa-top-e-not, McKenney Hall Indian Gallery, 1836–44, hand-colored lithograph
Enjoy special savings on Plate 113 Waa-top-e-not, a richly hand-colored lithograph from the McKenny Hall Indian Gallery portfolio. The portrait of Waa-top-e-not, “The Eagle’s Bill,” shows the Fox chief carrying a gunstock-shaped war club embellished with brass-headed studs.
Published by Daniel Rice and James G. Clark in Philadelphia. Drawn, printed and colored at the lithographic and print coloring establishment, 94 Walnut St. Philadelphia, 1843. Excellent original color. Folio size approximately 20 x 14.25 inches.
Reference: The McKenney-Hall Indian Gallery of American Indians, James D. Horan, 1972, page 208
$2,150 this week only (list price $3,200). Offer expires 10-16-17.
Thomas McKenney was superintendent of the war department under four presidents, Madison, Monroe, Adams and Jackson. By all accounts, he was a friend and admirer of the Native Americans and believed that the peace treaties he helped negotiate would be honored.
Charles Bird King painted the visiting chiefs as they came to Washington to negotiate treaties filling the war department’s gallery. Thomas McKenney dreamed of producing a portfolio of these images and written accounts. Fortunately, he made copies of the paintings with the help of the prominent artist, Henry Inman because Charles Bird King original paintings were destroyed in a fire at the Smithsonian.
The McKenney Hall Indian Gallery, was produced between 1836-1844. Edward C. Biddle drew the images on stone to produce the lithographs and James Hall wrote the text. These richly hand colored lithographs are today one of the most important and attractive nineteenth-century American ethnographic works created.
For further information or to purchase, please call the gallery at 312-642-5300.