History of the Indian Tribes of North America, with Biographical Sketches and Anecdotes of the Principal Chiefs. Embellished with One Hundred and Twenty Portraits from the Indian Gallery in the Department of War, at Washington. Philadelphia: EdwardC. Biddle (vol. 1), Frederick W. Greenough (vol. 2), Daniel Rice and James G. Clark

McKenney, Thomas L. & James Hall

Edité par 1836-38-44, 1836

A propos de cet article

3 vols., folio. 120 hand-colored lithographed plates after Charles Bird King, Karl Bodmer, J. O. Lewis, P. Rhindesbacher and R. M. Sully, drawn on stone by A. Newsam, A Hoffy, Ralph Trembley, Henry Dacre and others, printed and colored by J. T. Bowen and others, 17 pp of lithographic facsimiles of signatures of subscribers, 2 lithographed maps and one table printed on the recto of one leaf, wrappers of original parts bound in; occasional foxing and offsetting, generally not affecting plates. Half calf, cloth sides; covers detached, worn.First edition of one of the centuryâ s key color plate books, with first issue of volume 1(with the Biddle imprint and date 1836 on title). Most of these superb lithographs are based on oils by Charles Bird King, who was employed by the War Department to paint the Indian delegations visiting Washington D. C. Most of Kingâ s original portraits were subsequently destroyed in a fire at the Smithsonian in 1865, so their appearance in McKenney and Hallâ s Indian Tribes is the only record of the likenesses of many of the most prominent Indian leaders of the nineteenth century: Sequoyah, Red Jacket, Major Ridge, Cornplanter, and Osceola were numbered among Kingâ s sitters.Thomas McKenney was the first director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and he provided biographies, many based on personal interviews, that accompany the portraits. After six years as Superintendent of Indian Trade, McKenney had become concerned for the survival of the Western tribes. He had observed unscrupulous individuals taking advantage of the Native Americans for profit, and his vocal warnings about their future prompted his appointment by President Monroe to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. As first director, McKenney was to improve the administration of Indian programs in various government offices, His first trip was during the summer of 1826 to the Lake Superior area for a treaty with the Chippewa, opening mineral rights on their land in 1827. When President Jackson dismissed his from his government post in 1839, McKenney was able to turn more of his attention to his publishing project, Within a few years he was joined by James Hall, the Illinois journalist, lawyer, state treasurer and from 1833 Cincinnati banker, who had written extensively about the west. Both authors, not unlike George Catlin, whom they tried to enlist in their own publishing enterprise, saw their work as means of preserving an accurate visual record of a rapidly disappearing culture. The text, which was written by Hall based on information supplied by McKenney, takes the form of a series of biographies of leading figures among the Indian nations, followed by a general history of the North American Indians.â With 120 folio plates in three volumes, this was the greatest color plate book issued in the United States up to the time of its publication, and one of the most important of the century. Its long and checkered publication history spanned twelve years and involved multiple lithographers (mainly Peter S. Duval and James T. Bowen) and publishers, but the final product is one of the most distinctive and important books in Americanai â ¦.The complicated circumstances of its production have left a bibliographical stew of issues and issue points that are yet to be satisfactorily resolvedâ (Reese, Stamped with a National Character: Nineteenth Century American Color Plate Books, 24).Although History of the Indian Tribes of North America was eventually hugely successful and often reprinted in both folio and octavo formats, the first edition appeared haltingly, as is shown by the changing imprints on the title-pages. Four publishers, three lithographic firms, and more than a decade were required to bring this first edition to completion.References: BAL 6934; Field 992; Howes 129; Sabin 43410a.

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Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: History of the Indian Tribes of North America, with Biographical Sketches and Anecdotes of the Principal Chiefs. Embellished with One Hundred and Twenty Portraits from the Indian Gallery in the Department of War, at Washington. Philadelphia: EdwardC. Biddle (vol. 1), Frederick W. Greenough (vol. 2), Daniel Rice and James G. Clark
• Éditeur: 1836-38-44
• Date de parution: 1836
• Langue: anglais
• Reliure: Couverture rigide
• Illustrateur: McKenney , Thomas L. and James Hall
• État de l'article: Very good
• État de la jaquette: Jaquette