Bear's Oil, Menominee Chief

Art Historical Context

Behold the striking portrait *Bear's Oil, Meninee Chief* by James Otto Lewis, a graphic arts print from the Smithsonian American Art Museum collection. This bust depiction honors Bear's Oil, a prominent of the Menominee, an Indigenous nation native to the Great Lakes region, particularly present-day Wisconsin and Michigan. Though the exact date remains unknown, Lewis's work reflects the early 19th-century fascination with documenting Native American portraits amid expanding American frontiers. As a graphic arts print, the piece exemplifies the era's innovative printmaking techniques, such as ...