Black Knife, an Apache Warrior
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Object Details
- Artist
- John Mix Stanley, born Canandaigua, NY 1814-died Detroit, MI 1872
- Sitter
- Black Knife
- Gallery Label
- Black Knife, also known as Baishan, or by his Spanish name, Cuchillo Negro, was a celebrated Apache chief. His raids on Mexico made him a nominal ally of U.S. army battalions sent to the area following the outbreak of the Mexican War (1846--48). The Apache sought to protect their ancestral lands, which had become disputed territories between Mexico and the United States.
- In 1845, John Mix Stanley joined Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny's expedition through Santa Fe to California to put down Mexican uprisings. In late October 1846 Kearny's troops encountered Black Knife, here seen scouting the position of the army troops, near what is now the Tonto National Forest in Arizona. In the distance, Stanley portrays the Rio Gila, which runs through Arizona and New Mexico. Stanley based his painting on sketches he had made of the area's geological features and native plants, lending authenticity to his narrative.
- Credit Line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Misses Henry
- 1846
- Object number
- 1985.66.248,933
- Restrictions & Rights
- CC0
- Type
- Painting
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 42 1/2 x 52 in. (107.8 x 132.1 cm)
- See more items in
- Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture
- On View
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2nd Floor, South Wing
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Topic
- Landscape
- Indian\Apache
- Portrait male\equestrian portrait
- Record ID
- saam_1985.66.248_933
- Metadata Usage (text)
- CC0
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk738535d39-aca6-4edd-9a4b-1d3a07028310
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
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