Bust of an American Indian
Henry Kirke Brown
Modeled 1848–49, cast 1849
Medium
Bronze on bronze plinth
Dimensions
20.3 × 8.6 × 6 cm (8 × 3 3/8 × 2 3/8 in.)
Classification
bronze
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
180656
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Most mid-19th-century artists relied on romantic, often inaccurate conceptions of Native Americans, yet some, including Henry Kirke Brown, traveled west hoping to attain firsthand knowledge of their subjects. In September and October 1848, Brown journeyed to Michigan—then the American frontier—to create models of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians in preparation for a sculpture commissioned by the American Art Union. The resulting miniature portrait bust reveals the artist’s careful attention to detail...