Red Jacket
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
NPG.94.108
Tags
PortraitNative American oratorRed Jacket: MaleNative American diplomatChiefPeace medal
About this artwork
Renowned Seneca chief Sagoyewatha, who fought along with other Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) for the British during the American Revolution, received the name “Red Jacket” from the scarlet coats he habitually wore. In his dealings with the new American republic, he excelled as an orator and negotiator, always resisting any encroachment upon ancestral lands or Native customs and beliefs. In March 1792, Sagoyewatha led a delegation of Haudenosaunee to meet with George Washington in Philadelphia. Sagoye...