ON-GE-WAE. A CHIPPEWA CHIEF., from History of the Indian Tribes of North America

Art Historical Context

"ON-GE-WAE. A CHIPPEWA CHIEF" is a striking portrait from the renowned *History of the Indian Tribes North America*, published by McKenney and Hall 1836 and 1844. This graphic arts print captures the dignified bust of On-Ge-Wae, a prominent Chippewa (Ojibwe) leader the Great Lakes region. Produced around 1837–1844, it draws from original oil paintings commissioned by the U.S. government in the 1820s and 1830s, offering a rare visual record of Native American dignitaries during a time of rapid cultural upheaval. Rendered as a hand-colored lithograph—a popular 19th-century technique for reprodu...