Assiniboin Indian

Artist Charles Bird King (American, 1785 - 1862)

Datec. 1832

Mediumoil on wood

Dimensions24 1/8 × 19 7/8 inches (61.3 × 50.5 cm)
Frame: 27 1/4 × 23 5/16 × 1 5/16 inches (69.2 × 59.2 × 3.3 cm)

Credit LinePurchase of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, 1982

Object number31.212.5

ClassificationsPaintings

DescriptionThought to be Wijunjon, The Light.

Label TextAlthough Charles Bird King did not identify the specific person portrayed in this portrait, it is likely to be Wijunjon, the Light. On the back of the work is an inscription, “Assinaboin Indian from the most remote tribe that had ever visited Washington up to 1838.” The Light came to Washington, DC, in 1832 as member of a delegation of Indians from the Upper Missouri region. He was the only Assiniboin in the group. George Catlin also painted The Light and recounted a story about The Light’s unfortunate death after his return.

ProvenanceCharles Bird King [1785-1862]; bequeathed before 1859 to Redwood Library and Athenaeum, Newport, Rhode Island; sold May 21, 1970 (Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York); purchased through (Kennedy Galleries, New York) by The Warner Collection, Gulf States Paper Corporation, Tuscaloosa, Alabama owned until 1982; purchased December 1, 1982 through (Gerald Peters, Santa Fe, New Mexico) by the Nelda C. and H.J Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art

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