Chon-mon-i-case

Art Historical Context

**Chon-mon-i-case**, a striking 1838 lithographic print by Alfred M.y (active 1835–4), captures the dignified portrait of Shaumonek, a male Native American chief. Hoffy, a skilled Philadelphia-based lithographer, specialized in detailed reproductions that brought Indigenous leaders to wider audiences during a pivotal era of American expansion. This work, now in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection (gift of Betty A. Lloyd G. Scherm), exemplifies early 19th-century print, where lithography allowed for precise shading and mass dissemination of culturally significant images. The portrait highlights Shaumonekusse adorned in traditional regalia: an elaborate headdress, jewelry, necklace, and fur elements that convey his status and heritage. Most notably, he wears a peace medal, a silver diplomatic gift from U.S. presidents to Native chiefs, symbolizing treaties and alliances amid the turbulent Indian removal policies of the 1830s. These medals, often oval with presidential profiles, bridged cultures but underscored fraught negotiations over land and sovereignty. As a window into pre-Civil War intercultural dynamics, *Chon-mon-i-case* preserves a moment of Native leadership and American portraiture tradition, inviting visitors to reflect on the complex legacy of diplomacy and representation in U.S. history.