Who created "Wah-pe-sÃ©h-see, Mother of the Chief"?

Wah-pe-sÃ©h-see, Mother of the Chief was created by George Catlin in 1830.

What medium is "Wah-pe-sÃ©h-see, Mother of the Chief"?

Wah-pe-sÃ©h-see, Mother of the Chief is Painting.

Is "Wah-pe-sÃ©h-see, Mother of the Chief" in the public domain?

Yes, Wah-pe-sÃ©h-see, Mother of the Chief is in the public domain and available for free download under CC0 license.

Wah-pe-sÃ©h-see, Mother of the Chief

George Catlin

1830

Medium

Painting

Classification

Painting

Department

Smithsonian Collection

Museum

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Credit

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.

Accession Number

1985.66.247

Tags

KaskaskiaPortrait female

About this artwork

Wah-pe-sÃ©h-see was the mother of the Kaskaskia/Miami chief Kee-mÃ³n-saw, or Little Chief (see 1985.66.246). George Catlin, who described her as âa very aged woman,â probably painted her portrait at Fort Leavenworth (in todayâs Kansas) in 1830. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 47, 1841; reprint 1973)

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 ...

Wah-pe-sÃ©h-see, Mother of the Chief

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