466 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 195 3 



Many of those Indians were chiefs of prominence in the regional 

 history of our country. Others, such as Keolruk, Black-Hawk, and 

 Red Jacket, gained national prominence and were painted by white 

 artists other than King during their lives. Of outstanding historical 

 significance is King's portrait of Pushmatha, the great Choctaw leader 

 and consistent friend of the Whites. (See pi. 5, left.) Pushmataha 

 sat for King on his visit to Washington in 1824. He died in Washing- 

 ton on December 24 in that year, and was buried in the Congressional 

 Cemetery. 



Nor were King's Indian paintings limited to likenesses of official 

 delegations. He also portrayed lone Indians who appeared in Wash- 

 ington for other and varied reasons. There was Tshusick, clever and 

 beautiful Ojibwa adventuress, who reached Washington (1826) in 

 rags with a sad story on her lips, remained to capture the sympathies 

 and admiration of official and social Washington through her wit and 

 charm, and left town loaded with presents before stories of her 

 previous successes in other white communities reached the capital. 

 There was also Mohongo, attractive widow of an Osage chief. She 

 had been a member of a party of Osage Indians taken to Europe by 

 an enterprising white man in 1827 to be exhibited as representatives of 

 the wild tribes of America. Mohongo's husband died at sea on the 

 return journey in 1830. Disillusioned and without funds she appealed 

 tc the Government to return her to her own people. 



The great majority of King's original Indian portraits were exe- 

 cuted for the Government collection. Frances Trollope, that inde- 

 fatigable recorder of American customs, saw this collection in 

 Washington in 1832, and wrote: "The bureau for Indian affairs 

 contains a room of great interest ; the walls are entirely covered with 

 original portraits of all the chiefs who from time to time, have come 

 to negotiate with the great father, as they call the President. These 

 portraits are by Mr. King, and it cannot be doubted, are excellent 

 likenesses, as are all the portraits I have ever seen from the hands 

 of that gentleman." (Trollope, 1832, vol. 1, pp. 314-315.) 



This collection was transferred to the National Institute in 1841 

 and exhibited in the old Patent Office building. Curator John Varden 

 counted "One Hundred and Thirty Indian Portraits Taken by 

 Charles King and Others" in this collection September 1, 1852. In 

 1858 the collection was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution. 

 A Catalogue of Indian Paintings belonging to the Government Collec- 

 tion in 1859 lists 147 items. Of this number 82 are attributed to 

 Charles Bird King, 15 are attributed to other artists, while the names 

 of the painters of the remaining portraits are not given. Some, pos- 

 sibly many, of the paintings in the last group should be attributed 

 to King. (Rhees, 1859, pp. 55-58.) The collection remained on 



