Tenskwatawa
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Object Details
- Artist
- Henry Inman, 28 Oct 1801 - 17 Jan 1846
- Copy after
- Charles Bird King, 26 Sep 1785 - 18 Mar 1862
- Sitter
- Tenskwatawa, c. 1775 - 1837
- Exhibition Label
- Tenskwatawa, the foremost religious leader of the Shawnee, preached a return to traditional ways. Possessed with great oratorical skills, he built a large movement, and in 1808 he established Prophet’s Town in the Indiana Territory. He bitterly opposed territorial governor William Henry Harrison’s Treaty of Fort Wayne (1809), a dubious agreement in which some Native leaders ceded three million acres to the government. Tenskwatawa denied the legitimacy of their claim to the lands and warned Harrison not to allow white settlement on them. Harrison surrounded the Shawnees at Prophet’s Town, demanding they disperse and hand over those guilty of frontier raids. Tenskwatawa attacked on November 7, 1811, promising his warriors that his powers would protect them. Each side suffered heavy casualties in what became known as the Battle of Tippecanoe. When the Shawnees abandoned the field, Harrison burned out Prophet’s Town, claiming victory. Tenskwatawa was discredited and no longer led his people into battle.
- Provenance
- Peabody Museum, Harvard University; sold through (Hirschl & Adler, New York) to NPG 1982
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- c. 1830-33
- Object number
- NPG.82.71
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Stretcher: 77.2 x 62.9 x 2.5cm (30 3/8 x 24 3/4 x 1")
- Frame: 93.7 x 81 x 6cm (36 7/8 x 31 7/8 x 2 3/8")
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Exterior\Landscape
- Costume\Dress Accessory\Feather
- Costume\Armor\Gorget
- Tenskwatawa: Male
- Tenskwatawa: Religion and Spirituality\Religious leader
- Tenskwatawa: Native American\Native American leader
- Tenskwatawa: Native American\Native American advisor
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.82.71
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm489c1c193-694a-4012-8517-03ae07c89191
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