Wá-hón-ga-shee, No Fool, a Great Fop

About this artwork

“Meach-o-shin-gaw (the little white bear), Chesh-oo-hong-ha (the man of good sense), and Wa-hon-ga-shee (no fool), are portraits of distinguished Konzas [Kansas/Kaw], and all furnish striking instances of the bold and Roman outline.” (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 34, 1841; reprint 1973)

Art Historical Context

In 1832, American artist George Catlin captured dignified profile of Wá-hón-ga-shee, known as "No Fool, a Great Fop," a distinguished member of the Kaw (Konzas) Nation present-day Kansas. This bust-length portrait, painted during Catlin's ambitious travels across the Great Plains, showcases the subject in traditional Indian dress, highlighting his poised expression and elaborate attire—earning him the playful English epithet "Great Fop," suggesting a stylish flair amid his tribal finery. Catlin praised such portraits, including this one alongside those of Meach-o-shin-gaw ("the little white b...

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 ...