Mick-e-no-páh, Chief of the Tribe

About this artwork

George Catlin painted Mick-e-no-páh at Fort Moultrie, Charleston, South Carolina, in January 1838. He wrote of the Seminole chief: “Mick-e-no-pah is the head chief of the tribe, and a very lusty and dignified man. He took great pleasure in being present every day in my room, whilst I was painting the others; but positively refused to be painted, until he found that a bottle of whiskey, and another of wine, which I kept on my mantelpiece . . . were only to deal out their occasional kindnesses ...

Art Historical Context

George Catlin's *ick-e-no-páh Chief of the Tribe* (1838) captures the Seminole leader in a full-length portrait painted at Fort Moultrie, Carolina, amid the turmoil of the Second Seminole (1835–1842). Catlin, a pioneering 19th-century artist dedicated to documenting Native American life cultural erasure, portrayed Mick-e-no-páh—alusty and dignified" chief—as he sat cross-legged, proudly displaying his red leggings. This oil painting exemplifies Catlin's realistic style, blending ethnographic accuracy with Romantic admiration for indigenous nobility. The artwork's creation tells a vivid story:...

About the Artist

George Catlin · 1796–1872

George Catlin (1796–1872), born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to Putnam Catlin and Polly Sutton—who had been captured by Native Americans during the 1778 Battle of Wyoming—initially pursued a legal career. Trained at Litchfield Law School, he was admitted to the bar in 1819 but abandoned law after two years to study art in Philadelphia in 1823. Self-taught as a portraitist, Catlin quickly gained ...