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Catalog Data

Artist:
Thomas Hicks, 18 Oct 1823 - 8 Oct 1890  Search this
Copy after:
Robert Walter Weir, 18 Jun 1803 - 1 May 1889  Search this
Sitter:
Red Jacket, c. 1758 - 20 Jan 1830  Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
Stretcher: 81.3 x 55.9cm (32 x 22")
Frame: 113 x 82.6 x 10.2cm (44 1/2 x 32 1/2 x 4")
Type:
Painting
Date:
1868
Exhibition Label:
Born Canoga, New York
In the American Revolution, Onondowahgah (Seneca) chief Sagoyewatha fought for the British, who gave him the name “Red Jacket” because he wore their red coat. He switched loyalties in the War of 1812, convincing members of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy in New York to fight on the U.S. side. Although in his sixties, he fought bravely at the battles of Fort George (1813) and Chippawa (1814). Appalled by heavy casualties among his own warriors as well as Haudenosaunee from Canada who fought with the British, Sagoyewatha persuaded the Native Americans on both sides to withdraw from the conflict.
This painting is one of four copies of a portrait that Robert Walter Weir made during Sagoyewatha’s visit to New York City in 1828. Wearing a costume he considered “appropriate to his character” and a peace medal presented to him by George Washington, he stands before a backdrop of Niagara Falls beneath a stormy sky.
Nacido en Canoga, Nueva York
En la Guerra de Independencia, el jefe onondaga (seneca) Sagoyewatha luchó del lado de los británicos, que lo llamaron “Red Jacket” porque llevaba la casaca roja de su ejército. En la Guerra de 1812 cambió de bando y convenció a los miembros de la Confederación Haudenosaunee (Iroquesa) en Nueva York de apoyar a EE.UU. Aunque ya sexagenario, luchó valerosamente en las batallas del Fuerte George (1813) y Chippawa (1814). Horrorizado por las bajas tanto entre sus guerreros como entre los haudenosaunee de Canadá, que apoyaban a los británicos, Sagoyewatha convenció a ambos bandos de retirarse del conflicto.
Esta pintura es una de cuatro copias de un retrato que hizo Robert Walter Weir durante la visita de Sagoyewatha a Nueva York en 1828. Ataviado como creía “apropiado para su condición” y con la medalla de la paz que recibió de George Washington, aparece ante un telón con las cataratas del Niágara bajo un cielo tempestuoso.
Provenance:
(M. Knoedler & Co., New York) 1973. (Joan Michelman Ltd., New York, 1977). (Sotheby’s, New York, 22 May 2002, lot 172); purchased NPG 2002
Topic:
Exterior  Search this
Red Jacket: Male  Search this
Red Jacket: Native American\Native American orator  Search this
Red Jacket: Native American\Native American leader\Chief  Search this
Red Jacket: Native American\Native American diplomat  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Object number:
NPG.2002.69
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition:
Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
On View:
NPG, East Gallery 136
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4b9daf51e-c194-4786-8fa6-5f04826b7ca6
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.2002.69