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Indigenous portraits

The artists featured here illuminate how visually representing people can tell us about their identities, their communities, and their daily lives. Some paintings highlight the individual features of a person, such as their face, hair, and clothing, while others depict their subjects in various scenes or activities. Each element that an artist chooses to emphasize tells us as much about the subject as it tells us about the artist's priorities.

Image Title Creator Culture Accession # Materials/Techniques
Warriors on Horseback Carl Sweezy Native American; Arapaho 01.579 oil on board
Portrait of an Old Man Woody Big Bow Native American; Kiowa 01.583 oil on canvas attached to board
Rebecca McNair Swain Narcissa Chisholm Owen Native American; Cherokee 01.1462 oil on canvas
William Wilson Narcissa Chisholm Owen Native American; Cherokee 01.1463 oil on canvas
Portrait of an Indian Man Monroe Tsatoke Native American; Kiowa 01.1929 oil on canvas
John Swain Narcissa Chisholm Owen Native American; Cherokee 01.1946 oil on canvas
Portrait of a Man Stephen Mopope Native American; Kiowa 01.2034 oil on canvas
Self-Portrait Monroe Tsatoke Native American; Kiowa 01.2397 oil on board
APR '55 Bobby Martin Native American; Muscogee (Creek) 01.2503 mixed media on canvas
Kiowa Warriors Dennis Belindo Native American; Kiowa, Navajo (Diné) 01.2539 acrylic on matboard
Mother and Child Marian Terasaz Native American; Comanche 02.29 tempera on paper
Kiowa Flute Player Stephen Mopope Native American; Kiowa 02.128 tempera on paper
Mother and Child Stephen Mopope Native American; Kiowa 02.200 tempera on paper
Satanta - White Bear - Kiowa Indian Leader Frank Knickerbocker Native American; Otoe-Missouria 02.221 watercolor on paper
Kiowa Family Lois Smokey Native American; Kiowa 02.264 tempera on paper
Female Figure Woody Big Bow Native American; Kiowa 02.386 tempera on mat board
Lullaby Lois Smokey Native American; Kiowa 02.509 tempera on paper
Two Indians F. Blackbear Bosin Native American; Comanche, Kiowa 02.1649 tempera on the verso of photographic paper
Cherokee Man and Wife Cecil Dick Native American; Cherokee (United Keetoowah Band) 02.1715 tempera on paper
Patrol of the Lighthorse Dana Tiger Native American; Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Cherokee 02.1741 tempera on matboard