History of the Indian Tribes of North America

Now on view in The Promise of Liberty exhibition are four beautifully hand-colored lithographs from the historic publication History of the Indian Tribes of North America. Published between 1836 and 1844 by Thomas L. McKenney and James Hall, the three-volume work documents Native Americans from more than twenty tribes through biographies and accompanying portraits, the majority based on paintings by American portrait artist Charles Bird King (1785-1862).

Thomas L. McKenney (1785-1859) was a prominent figure in Native American and Federal Government relations, serving as the U.S. Government’s Superintendent of Indian Trade from 1816 to 1822 and the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, under the War Department, from 1824 to 1830.

During his tenure, McKenney grew concerned that Native American peoples, histories, and cultures would be lost amid the westward expansion of Euro-American society. He advocated for the recognition of Native Americans as equals and sought to preserve a record of Native American leaders and cultures by commissioning portraits from several artists, including King, James Otto Lewis, and Henry Inman.

Throughout the nineteenth century, Native American leaders and diplomats traveled to the U.S. capital to negotiate treaties, address grievances, and challenge the federal government over violations of existing agreements.

These visits also served the government’s strategic interests, providing opportunities to demonstrate the nation’s power, wealth, and territorial reach in an effort to discourage Native resistance.

At the same time, these visits gave McKenney and King, based in Washington, D.C., the opportunity to document prominent Native American leaders through painted portraits. These paintings remained in McKenney’s possession until 1858, when they were transferred to the Smithsonian Institution.

Following their relocation to the Smithsonian Castle, the institution’s oldest building, the paintings were displayed on the second floor, alongside many other Native American portraits.

Tragically, in the winter of 1865, the Smithsonian Castle caught fire. The blaze raged out of control and quickly engulfed the second floor, destroying over 200 portraits, including the majority of those by King.

Only five paintings, all works by King, were saved. Four of the surviving portraits are now owned by Alice Walton and are in the collection of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Although most of the original painted portraits McKenney commissioned were destroyed, their images survive in the History of the Indian Tribes of North America. Before moving them to the Smithsonian, McKenney saw an opportunity to profit from the King portraits by selling them to the public.

With financial support from Judge James Hall of Cincinnati, McKenney had lithograph prints of every painting produced and bound in a three-volume collection. While the motivation for this was more for profit than preservation, the decision to have these portraits copied as prints resulted in their survival.

Today, these prints remain the most comprehensive visual record of King’s lost portraits, preserving the likenesses of Native American leaders for future generations.