GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Osceola was a warrior and leader during the Second Seminole War, in which he and other Native North Americans resisted relocation from their ancestral lands in Florida to territories west of the Mississippi River. In January 1838, he was imprisoned by the US Army and died of tuberculosis soon after. Osceola quickly became a folk hero and an example of the United States' misguided policy toward native peoples.
This portrait contains references to Osceola's blended heritage; his paternal grandfather was a Scotsman who married a Creek woman. The artist likely altered his sitter's features to communicate health, vigor, and European associations. The breastplates and beaded belt, contrasted with the cotton shawl and headwrap, underscore the conflicting public notions of Native North American leaders as both enemy combatants and noble heroes.
Excerpt from
Emily Schiller, DMA label text, 2017
NOTES
Created in 1838
Previously attributed to John Neagle, Curtis' teacher
Former title Portrait of Indian Chief Oseola
"Osceola was the chieftain of the Seminole tribe during its war with the United States in the 1830s. A skilled and wily leader, Osceola outmaneuvered the U.S. Army for two years before he was lured to a conference under a flag of truce, and treacherously seized. The defiant chief was imprisoned at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina, where he died soon afterwards at the age of thirty-five. Curtis, who was a portrait painter active in Charleston, painted Osceola at Fort Moultrie in January 1838, a few months before the chief's death. Soon after this Curtis advertised copies of the portrait for sale for thirty dollars apiece. Curtis painted his version only a few days prior to the more famous one by George Catlin. Historians generally agree that although Catlin's painting is better known, Curtis executed a more accurate and skillful rendering. This work is nearly identical to the original portrait and was certainly painted soon after, since the vogue for Osceola as a tragic hero was relatively short-lived. As for the painter, his fate has so far elude historians. The last mention of his name occurs in the Census records of 1850." --Label text (?), unknown author
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Curtis, Robert John (c.1816-c.1850)
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Fort Moultrie (South Carolina/United States): TGN: 2335409
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 1987: Dallas Museum of Art, The Karl and Esther Hobitzelle Collection, gift of the Hobitzelle Foundation
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- Osceola, George Catlin~Check out another portrait of Osceola at the website of artist George Catlin's complete works.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
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Apply to objects where number equals 1987.51
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General Description
Osceola was a warrior and leader during the Second Seminole War, in which he and other Native North Americans resisted relocation from their ancestral lands in Florida to territories west of the Mississippi River. In January 1838, he was imprisoned by the US Army and died of tuberculosis soon after. Osceola quickly became a folk hero and an example of the United States' misguided policy toward native peoples.
This portrait contains references to Osceola's blended heritage; his paternal grandfather was a Scotsman who married a Creek woman. The artist likely altered his sitter's features to communicate health, vigor, and European associations. The breastplates and beaded belt, contrasted with the cotton shawl and headwrap, underscore the conflicting public notions of Native North American leaders as both enemy combatants and noble heroes.
Excerpt from
Emily Schiller, DMA label text, 2017
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Osceola, George Catlin~Check out another portrait of Osceola at the website of artist George Catlin's complete works.
Notes
Created in 1838
Previously attributed to John Neagle, Curtis' teacher
Former title Portrait of Indian Chief Oseola
"Osceola was the chieftain of the Seminole tribe during its war with the United States in the 1830s. A skilled and wily leader, Osceola outmaneuvered the U.S. Army for two years before he was lured to a conference under a flag of truce, and treacherously seized. The defiant chief was imprisoned at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina, where he died soon afterwards at the age of thirty-five. Curtis, who was a portrait painter active in Charleston, painted Osceola at Fort Moultrie in January 1838, a few months before the chief's death. Soon after this Curtis advertised copies of the portrait for sale for thirty dollars apiece. Curtis painted his version only a few days prior to the more famous one by George Catlin. Historians generally agree that although Catlin's painting is better known, Curtis executed a more accurate and skillful rendering. This work is nearly identical to the original portrait and was certainly painted soon after, since the vogue for Osceola as a tragic hero was relatively short-lived. As for the painter, his fate has so far elude historians. The last mention of his name occurs in the Census records of 1850." --Label text (?), unknown author
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Curtis, Robert John (c.1816-c.1850)
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Fort Moultrie (South Carolina/United States): TGN: 2335409
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
From 1987: Dallas Museum of Art, The Karl and Esther Hobitzelle Collection, gift of the Hobitzelle Foundation
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
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Objects
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1987.51
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object_notes_2_d-0158.xml.nores