1855 Original Hand colored lithograph of WA-BAUN-SEE, A POTTAWATIMIE from the octavo edition of McKenney & Hall’s History of the Indian Tribes of North America (WABAUNSEE)

  • $295.00
    Unit price per 


HISTORY OF THE INDIAN TRIBES OF NORTH AMERICA

WA-BAUN-SEE,  A POTTAWATIMIE
Hand colored Lithograph, 1855.
Paper size 10 1/4 x 6 5/8" (26.2 x 16.6 cm).
Great condition and color.

This original, hand-colored lithograph comes from the octavo edition of McKenney & Hall’s History of the Indian Tribes of North America, published by Rice & Hart in Philadelphia and printed & colored by J.T. Bowen.

 An admirer and supporter of the American Indians, Thomas McKenney spent his tenure in office fighting for their cause and preserving their legacy through a gallery of paintings that were commissioned by various artists. Unfortunately, the original paintings burned in a fire, and all that is left to remember these Indians are the lithographs found in History which were modeled off the paintings.

This print is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction.  It is authentic. Due to its age, it may have slight imperfections such as foxing so, please, examine the octavo carefully to be satisfied, as photos tell better than words.

Wa-baun-see, -1848 (Potawatomi ) was a chief who supported the British in the War of 1812. In 1814, he signed the Treaty of Greenville by which Potawatomi allegiance was transferred to the United States. In a series of treaties signed by Wabaunsee, Potawatomi lands around Lake Michigan were sold.

Wabaunsee, born Nakses, was a powerful and influential headman among the Potawatomi, Odawa and Ojibwe villages of Illinois and Indiana. With a reputation that preceded him, Wabaunsee was not only a noted veteran of the Osage Wars, Battle of Tippecanoe, and War of 1812, but also an esteemed religious leader within the ancient Midewiwin Medicine Lodge.

Openly opposed to American expansion, yet understanding the need to delegate for peace and the survival of his people, his name appears among numerous treaties signed between the United States and the Potawatomi. Wabaunsee steered removal negotiations for the United Band of Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi, and led the villages of Illinois and Wisconsin to a new reservation in Council Bluffs, Iowa, following the Treaty of Chicago of 1833.