A View of the Butte Des Morts Treaty Ground; With the Arrival of the Commissioners Gov. Lewis Cass and Col. McKenny, from The Aboriginal Portfolio

Art Historical Context

Step into the historical drama captured in *A View of the Butte Dess Treaty Ground; With the Arrival of the Commissioners Gov Lewis Cass and Col.Kenny*, a striking 1835 lithographic print by James Otto Lewis Part of the pioneering *Aboriginal Portfolio*, this graphic arts work vividly portrays the pivotal moment when U.S. government officials Lewis Cass, the Michigan Territory governor, and Colonel Thomas L. McKenney arrive at the treaty site near modern-day Wisconsin. Lewis, a self-taught artist and traveler, sketched these scenes firsthand from gatherings like the 1827 Treaty of Butte des Morts, where Native American tribes including the Menominee and Ho-Chunk negotiated land cessions amid America's westward push. The print's significance lies in its role as one of the earliest visual records of U.S.-Native American treaty proceedings, blending documentary precision with artistic flair. Lewis's lithographs, produced from his on-site drawings, offered Eastern audiences rare glimpses into Indigenous life and diplomacy, preserving customs and portraits before rapid cultural changes. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum through a generous gift, this piece from the Graphic Arts-Print collection highlights the era's tensions and the artist's mission to honor "aboriginal" heritage. Today, it invites reflection on the complex legacy of these treaties, reminding us how art can bridge history's divides.