KI-ON-TWOG-KY., from History of the Indian Tribes of North America

Art Historical Context

**KI-ON-TWOG-KY., from *History of the Indian Tribes of North America*** *McKenney and Hall, ca. 1836, Graphic Arts-Print* *Smithsonian American Art Museum* This striking lithographic print captures Ki-on-twog-ky, a prominent Seneca leader, in a dignified portrait that highlights his traditional attire and poised demeanor as he smokes a pipe. Created as part of the renowned *History of the Indian of North America* (1836–1844) by Thomas L. McKenney and James Hall, it draws from oil portraits by Charles Bird King, documenting Native American delegates who visited Washington, D.C., in the early 19th century. The series holds immense historical significance, offering one of the earliest visual records of tribal leaders amid U.S. expansion and forced relocations under President Jackson's Indian Removal policies. These hand-colored prints preserved cultural identities and regalia, like the Seneca's feathered headdress and pipe, providing invaluable insights into pre-reservation Native life. Artistically, the lithographic technique allowed for detailed reproduction and vivid coloring, blending portraiture with ethnography. Today, it reminds visitors of the Seneca Nation's resilience and the complex interplay of documentation and displacement in American history. (198 words)