Description
Description of McKenney and Hall's The History of the Indian Tribes of North America 1855 Edition
These wonderful hand-colored lithographs are from the 1855 octavo edition of The History of the Indian Tribes of North America, published by Rice and Hart in Philadelphia and lithographed by J.T. Bowen. This collection by Thomas L. McKenney and James L. Hall is well known throughout America for its authentic portrayals of the Indians of various North American tribes. McKenney and Hall based these paintings on portraits by Charles Bird King who was employed by the U.S. Government to make a survey of the appearances of the natives. Most of the original paintings were destroyed by fire at the Smithsonian, so only McKenney and Hall's portraits remain to illustrate the true appearance of the early Indians. When available, an interestingly detailed description of the figure is included with each print. They are on fine woven paper that measures ~6 1/2" by 10 1/2".