Che-tan-ce-ta (Yellow Hawk)

Antonio Zeno Shindler was a German-born artist working for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, commissioned to paint portraits of Native American delegations visiting the capital. Yellow Hawk (Che-tan-ce-ta) was a Lakota Sioux leader whose portrait was created during one of the diplomatic visits that the U.S. government arranged as part of its relationship with Plains nations. These Smithsonian portrait commissions constitute a unique ethnographic and historical archive, preserving the faces of individuals who participated in one of the most consequential and painful chapters of American history.

Shindler renders Yellow Hawk in the straightforward documentary manner required by the Smithsonian commission, focusing on accurate representation of face, headdress, and regalia. The painting style is competent academic portraiture, with careful attention to the textures of feathers and clothing materials. A neutral background keeps attention on the subject.