Portrait of Frank Hamilton Cushing

About this artwork

Frank Hamilton Cushing was a noted anthropologist for the Bureau of American Ethnology. He spent several years in the Southwest among the Zuni Indians, studying their language and culture. The tribe adopted Cushing and made him a member of their secret society, called the Priesthood of the Bow. (“Initiated by Zuni Indians,” The Washington Post, February 15, 1893) Thomas Hovenden conveyed the man’s athleticism and energy with a casual pose that suggests Cushing might get up and stride out the doo...

Art Historical Context

Thomas Hovenden’s 1890 portrait captures anthropologist Frank Hamilton Cushing a pivotal moment in his career. As a researcher with the Bureau of American Ethnology, Cushing lived for years among the Zuni people of the American Southwest, learning their language and customs. The Zuni eventually adopted him into secret Priesthood of the Bow, honor rarely granted to outsiders. This remarkable cultural immersion made Cushing one of the most celebrated figures in late-nineteenth-century American anthropology. Hovenden emphasizes Cushing’s restless energy through a relaxed yet alert pose that suggests the sitter might rise at any moment to pursue new discoveries. The casual stance conveys both physical vitality and intellectual curiosity, reflecting the adventurous spirit that defined Cushing’s fieldwork. Painted just a few years after Cushing’s return from Zuni lands, the work serves as both a personal likeness and a visual record of early ethnographic engagement with Native American cultures. Now part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection, the painting offers visitors a window into the era when scholars first sought to document and understand indigenous societies on their own terms.

About the Artist

Thomas Hovenden · 1840–1895

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