Wa-baun-see - A Pottawatomie Chief

Art Historical Context

In the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection, M. Hoffy's 1838 lithographic print *Wa-baun-see - A Pottawatomie* captures the dignified likeness of Wabaunsee, a prominent leader of the Potawatomi. Active from 1835 to 1864, Hoffy was a skilled Philadelphia-based lithographer renowned for his detailed portraits of Native American chiefs, often commissioned or drawn from life during a time of intense cultural exchange and upheaval in the American Midwest. The portrait depicts Wabaunsee formal attire, adorned with an epaulet suggesting military honors, a medal likely denoting alliances or t...