McKenney & Hall

Our collection of McKenney & Hall prints are from the landmark book, The History of the Indian Tribes of North America, a three volume series originally published in 1836 that features biographies and one-of-a-kind lithograph portraits. These prints were reproductions of paintings originally completed by Charles Bird King.

Please note that the works below are only a sample of our entire collection of McKenney & Hall prints. If you're looking for one in particular, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Print (7-works)

McKenney & Hall Ap-Pa-Noo-Se_ McKenney _ Hall_ History of the Indian Tribes of North America_ print_ lithograph_ hand-colored
Ap-Pa-Noo-Se - A Saukie Chief
11 x 8.5 in
McKenney & Hall Ahyouwaighs_McKenney _ Hall_ History of the Indian Tribes of North America_ print_ lithograph_ hand-colored
Ahyouwaighs - Chief of the Six Nations
Folio Edition
27.5 x 22.5 in
McKenney & Hall Foke-Luste-Hajo_ McKenney _ Hall_ History of the Indian Tribes of North America_ print_ lithograph_ hand-colored
Foke-Luste-Hajo - A Seminole Chief
10.5 x 7 in
McKenney & Hall Lop-Pa-Win-Soe_ McKenney _ Hall_ History of the Indian Tribes of North America_ print_ lithograph_ hand-colored
Lop-Pa-Win-Soe - A Delaware Chief
10.25 x 6.5 in
McKenney & Hall Me-Te-A_ McKenney _ Hall_ History of the Indian Tribes of North America_ print_ lithograph_ hand-colored
Me-Te-A - A Pottawatimie Chief
11 x 8.5 in
McKenney & Hall Wat-Che-Mon-Ne_ McKenney _ Hall_ History of the Indian Tribes of North America_ print_ lithograph_ hand-colored_
Wat-Che-Mon-Ne - An Ioway Chief
11 x 8.5 in

McKenney & Hall

McKenney & Hall

McKenney & Hall Biography

Our collection of McKenney & Hall prints is from the landmark book, The History of the Indian Tribes of North America, a three-volume series originally published in 1836 that features biographies and one-of-a-kind lithograph portraits. These prints were reproductions of paintings originally completed by Charles Bird King.

Thomas McKenney was appointed Superintendent of Indian Affairs in 1821, and soon after accepting that position, he began to commission portraits of Native Americans visiting Washington D.C. by the painter Charles Bird King. In 1828, McKenney commissioned lithograph reproductions of the paintings in an effort to make the Native American portraits more accessible. To accompany the prints, McKenney enlisted author and Treasurer of the State of Illinois James Hall to write biographies for each of the Native Americans featured in Charles Bird King's original paintings. The task proved to be incredibly difficult since King had only included little more than a name with his portraits. Over the course of eight years, Hall tracked down the vast majority of the subjects in the original paintings and meticulously recorded their stories.

In 1858, King's original paintings were relocated and archived at the Smithsonian Institution. However, several years later in 1865, a fire engulfed the entire floor the paintings were stored on, and over 295 of the portraits were destroyed, with only 5 spared. McKenney & Hall's expansive collection of lithographs are the only reproductions of Charles Bird King's original paintings ever produced, and they preserve the legacy of these important works and the Native American subjects they depict.

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