McKenney and Hall: History of the Indian Tribes of North America Collection
Scope and Contents
The McKenney and Hall: History of the Indian Tribes of North America Collection contains 59 matted, hand-colored lithograph folio portraits of American Indians. The prints were disbound from a first edition of McKenney and Hall's book The History of the Indian Tribes of North America. All the portraits included in this collection were based on works originally painted by Charles Bird King, but also included is a copy ofWar Dance of the Sauks and Foxes based on a painting by Peter Rindisbacher.
A complete three volume set would include 120 portraits total in addition to biographical sketches and histories involving the subjects. Please see additional, full, editions of the book in the Missouri Historical Society’s Library.
Dates
- 1836-1843
Creator
- Hall, James, 1793-1868 (Author, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
No viewing restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Material in this collection is in the public domain.
Biographical / Historical
Thomas L. McKenney (1785-1859) was the Superintendent of Indian Affairs from 1816 until 1830. During his tenure he commissioned artist Charles Bird King and others to create portraits of visiting American Indian dignitaries including a large delegation of Indians that arrived in Washington D.C in 1821 to meet with President James Monroe. After being removed from office by President Andrew Jackson in 1830, McKenney moved to Philadelphia with the intention of publishing a history of the Native people he had encountered illustrated with copies of King's portraits. He partnered with writer, James Hall (1793-1868) to produce the three-volume history, History of the Indian Tribes of North America (now commonly referred to as "McKenney and Hall.")
The first edition volumes of McKenney and Hall were published between the years 1837 to 1844 and were largely the work of lithographers at J.T. Bowen's Lithographic Establishment. The original paintings were borrowed from the War Department, without the knowledge of President Jackson, and reproduced by artist, Henry Inman in Philadelphia in preparation for lithography before being returned to Washington.
Extent
x.x Cubic Feet ( (5 boxes))
Language of Materials
English
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
No physical or technical restrictions.
Custodial History
Uncited note in the collection record reads "The prints were disbound for exhibit use from McKenney and Hall's book "The History of the Indian Tribes of North America." It is unclear if this occurred prior to donation or at the Missouri Historical Society.
Donor Information
Collection donated by [DONOR NAME] in [YEAR].
UNKNOWN??
Existence and Location of Copies
All images in this collection were digitized in 2019 and can be accessed via the Online Search on the Missouri Historical Society's website
Digitized images are generated from the original item whenever possible and files are adjusted only to ensure an accurate representation. Master files are saved in TIF format and JPEG viewing files are automatically generated from the master files.
Formats
Lithograph, color
General
XXXX
Processing Information
Processed by Amanda Claunch, 2020.
Creator
- Hall, James, 1793-1868 (Author, Person)
- McKenney, Thomas L. (Thomas Loraine), 1785-1859 (Author, Person)
- King, Charles Bird, 1785-1862 (Artist, Person)
- Rindisbacher, Peter, 1806-1834 (Artist, Person)
- Hoffy, Alfred M., approximately 1790- (Lithographer, Person)
- J.T. Bowen's Lithographic Establishment (Printmaker, Organization)
- Greenough, Frederick W. (Publisher, Person)
- Daniel Rice and James G. Clark (Publisher, Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the McKenney and Hall: History of the Indian Tribes of North America Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- EAD by Amanda Claunch using ArchivesSpace.
- Date
- 2020
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Missouri Historical Society, Photographs and Prints Department Repository
Library and Research Center
225 South Skinker Boulevard
St. Louis MO 63105
photo@mohistory.org