TO-KA-CON: A Sioux Chief [Original Hand-colored Lithograph from the 1855 Octavo Edition of HISTORY OF THE INDIAN TRIBES OF NORTH AMERICA]

Philadelphia: D. Rice & A.N. Hart, 1855. Original hand-colored lithograph by J. T. Bowen after the painting by Charles Bird King. Octavo (image size approximately 6" by 9") print from the 1855 octavo edition. The print is in very good condition, with vivid coloring and some relatively minor soiling of the off-white background. The print has been archivally matted and is ready for a standard 16" by 20" frame. To-Ka-Con (McKenney said that the name means "He that inflicts the first wound") was a Yankton Sioux Chief in what is now South Dakota. He was both a tribal policeman and a chief who signed several treaties on behalf of his tribe. Thomas L. McKenney, who from 1816 until 1830 headed what was to become the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs, commissioned Charles Bird King to paint portraits of Native American delegates visiting Washington, D.C. He also had King paint copies of other portraits that had been painted by James Otto Lewis. The result was a gallery of portraits of both great chiefs and lesser personages that was intended to serve as an important part of the historic record of the era. After leaving government service, McKenney arranged to have the portraits copied by Harold Inman for the purpose of creating a series of hand-colored lithographs. In collaboration with James Hall, McKenney produced the monumental History of the Indian Tribes of North America, that included 120 hand-colored lithographs after the paintings of King and Lewis as well as an historical essay by Hall and biographical material on most of the Native Americans pictured. Portions of the folio edition were published by various publishers during the period 1837-1844 and were followed by several octavo editions. Although hailed as an artistic success and an important contribution to Native American ethnology, the high production cost of the lithographs and relatively low sales (during an economic recession) combined to make the venture unprofitable. The less expensive octavo editions were a financially unsuccessful attempt to salvage the situation but still an artistic success. In 1865 a fire at the Smithsonian Institute destroyed most of the original paintings; so the only original pictorial records remaining are the hand-colored lithographs published for McKenney and Hall. They are considered to be one of the high points of 19th century Americana.. Original. Single Sheet. Very Good. Illus. by Charles Bird King. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Fine Art Print.