Museum Collections
Luce Center
Sagoyewatha, or "Red Jacket" (ca. 1758-1830)
Object Number:
1893.1
Date:
1828
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
Overall: 30 1/2 x 20 1/4 in. ( 77.5 x 51.4 cm )
Framed: 40 1/2 in. × 30 1/2 in. × 4 in. (102.9 × 77.5 × 10.2 cm)
Gallery Label:
The famous Seneca Indian chief Sagoyewatha was also called Red Jacket because of the succession of red jackets he wore, the first given to him by a British officer during the Revolutionary War. A leader of his people and a great orator, he advocated friendship and co-existence with the white man but asserted the independence and ownership rights of the Indians. In 1792 Red Jacket received from George Washington a silver medal, which he is shown wearing in this portrait, painted during a visit to New York City in 1828.
Bibliography:
"National Academy of Design," New-York American, June 11, 1829.
Catalogue of American Portraits in The New-York Historical Society, New Haven: Yale University Press, Vol. 1, 1974, pp. 688-9.
Credit Line:
Gift of Winthrop Chanler
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.