A Total of 406 Rare Native American Paintings in a Coffee Table Art Book
A coffee table book with a history lesson on every page!
Dr. Bob Hough’s new book, A Native American Story; The Art and Artists of the Early 1800s, is a beautifully crafted compilation of art and history, a retrospective of visionary artists, who not only elevated our knowledge of notable Native American leaders but also gained their own place in U.S. history. These select painters and lithographers sought to portray the Native Americans they encountered factually, as they lived, before their way of life would be forever changed by the Westward Expansion.
In 1822, the U.S. Department of War created what would become the Bureau of Indian Affairs, tasked with negotiating long overdue treaties with tribes that had formally lived on British-claimed land but now fell within U.S. borders. The new Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Thomas McKenney, employed gifted artists resulting in intricately detailed Charles Bird King portraits, James Otto Lewis portraits made on the spot, along with Henry Inman works; they all set out to capture the tribal leaders of the day at treaty signings and negotiations east of the Mississippi River. Their goal was simply to witness and document the diverse native tribes and their soon-to-be lost culture.
West of the Mississippi, major expeditions were conducted in the 1830s to document the Plains Indians. These expeditions were accompanied by accomplished artists, resulting in famous George Catlin paintings, Karl Bodmer Native American art, and Alfred Jacob Miller paintings of Native Americans of the region at a time when they still lived largely undisturbed by white settlers.
Recounting the loss of the War Department's Indian Gallery in the 1865 Smithsonian fire, the author scoured the globe to collect images of the lost paintings from these and other artists. This 224-page book represents a thoughtfully curated collection of 406 works of often very rare art depicting native people from 69 confederacies, nations, tribes and bands, sourced from 83 museums, galleries and portfolios in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Continental Europe, and Scandinavia.
Praise for A Native American Story; the Art and Artists of the Early 1800s
In all of my 70-some years of looking at art books and picture books I don’t remember ever seeing a truly comprehensive overview of paintings of Native Americans, from a time when they were entirely their distinctive selves. Not until I discovered Dr. Bob Hough’s A Native American Story, that is. This book is as much about the diversity of the artists’ perceptions, some straightforward documentations and some romantic representations, as it is about the great diversity of indigenous nations and cultures that existed in what people today so often mistakenly lump together as one people.
I recommend A Native American Story to everyone who has a curiosity about or admiration for the people it represents and their history. It is a classic, a must-have for collectors and historians, and a work of art in itself.
RICHARD HALSTEAD, DIRECTOR, THE HALSTEAD SCHOOL OF PORTRAIT AND FIGURE ART
This most recent volume by prolific author, Dr. Robert Hough, provides great insight into what may be the most extensive collection of art depicting Native Americans in the first half of the 19th century. Painting their subjects “from life,” talented artists documented a dignified culture and life of the Continent’s Indigenous People, which has been lost from the consciousness of most Americans. There was great awareness by the artists represented in this book of the social complexity and balance with nature in the life of the Native Americans at this time. One artist featured prominently is George Catlin, who recorded meeting 48 tribes, distinguishing them from one another, making up in his estimation “300,000 souls.”
My thoughts on this rich and beautiful volume cannot improve upon the poem by Chief Tecumseh who said:
Respect others in their view and demand that they respect yours
Love your life, perfect your life
Beautify all things in your life
Seek to make your life long and its purpose is the service of your people.
Robert Hough has done so with this volume.
R. JOHN DAWES, ENVIRONMENTALIST, FARMER, AUTHOR AND COLLECTOR
Dr. Bob Hough’s A Native American Story: The Art and Artists of the Early 1800s is a unique art book that not only displays the images of the Native American subjects but also tells the stories and motivations of the artists who produced them. These artists were all interested in the preservation of Native American culture before that culture disappeared forever during the settlers’ unceasing expansion westward. This beautiful book might be a relatively quick read, but I guarantee that you will spend many hours enjoying and reflecting on it.
DIXON CRAVENS, LAY MINISTER, ST. TIMOTHY’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, centennial, colorado
During the 1800s, Native Americans attempted to protect their natural resources and cultural identity by establishing treaty relationships with the United States government. A Native American Story; The Art and Artists of the Early 1800s provides a unique, and most importantly, an authentic perspective of that era. Dr. Bob Hough’s comprehensive research provides extraordinary portraits of the Native American leaders and images of their ways of life based on the personal observations of the artist. He has placed those images within the historical context of evolving presidential policies that initially offered legal protections and then facilitated Westward Expansion. Another well documented theme is the changing attitudes of Americans and Europeans to the preservation of authentic images of America’s indigenous cultures. A Native American Story combines vivid imagery within the context of the new nation’s expansion, providing a valuable understanding of this transitional period in American history.
JOHN M. SNYDER, PH.D., NATURAL & HERITAGE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
In this book, the author has given us a historic treasure of images from some of the world’s greatest artists. The result is a book with perhaps the finest collection of paintings and lithographs of Native Americans ever produced. They are Proud, Beautiful People captured in art and history as they once were. Ultimately, A Native American Story does much to preserve a historic reference for future generations.
Gordon Philip, rancher and historian
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A MESSAGE FROM THE foundation president -
The history of the Red Angus Foundation Inc (“RAFI”) spans more than three decades. Originally created in 1995 to provide financial support for the Junior Red Angus Association, RAFI has funded activities and scholarships for the many youth involved with Red Angus cattle. In 2010, RAFI’s mission was expanded to include scientific research and general education that would benefit all cattle people utilizing Red Angus. Scientific research, education, and youth support remain the three cornerstones of RAFI’s purpose.
For those same three decades plus some, Dr. Bob Hough has also been serving the Red Angus breed. Initially hired as Commercial Marketing Director, he was soon promoted to CEO of the Red Angus Association of America, a position he held for 10 years. While CEO, he also served on the RAFI Board of Directors, including several terms as Chairman, and his tenure of service on the RAFI Board continues to the present day.
"Gaiänt'wakê (Cornplanter), a Seneca Chief, part of the Iroquois Confederacy. Painted in 1796 by Frederick Bartoli. Credit New York Historical Society."
Dr. Hough has authored a truly wonderful book, and documented authentic Native American history, memorialized in the vast collection of artwork he compiled within its pages. The Red Angus Foundation is pleased to help distribute it and make it available to the RAFI and Red Angus community, as well as everyone interested the art and history of the Native American people. RAFI
is a 501c3 charitable organization, and Bob is very generous letting the Red Angus Foundation retain the proceeds from the sale of his book.
This is a beautiful and educational book, and I believe anyone who reads the text and looks at the incredible artwork will thoroughly enjoy it.
W. CAMERON FORBES, PRESIDENT, RED ANGUS FOUNDATION INC.
A Poem by Shawnee Chief Tecumseh
So, live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view,
and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life,
beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
even a stranger, when in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks
for the food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.
Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools
and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die,
be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death,
so that when their time comes, they weep and pray
for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.
Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.
— Chief Tecumseh
