Ta-do-udo-sa (Prairie Chicken)

Like the other Shindler portraits from 1887, this painting of Ta-do-udo-sa (Prairie Chicken) was created as part of the Smithsonian's systematic effort to document Native American visitors to Washington. These portraits function simultaneously as art objects and as primary historical documents of a critical moment in the history of Native-American relations with the United States government. The Dakota and Lakota delegations who sat for Shindler came to negotiate, petition, or simply to be seen — their painted likenesses now serving as records of individuals who shaped the final chapter of Plains Indian political independence.

Shindler employs his standard frontal or near-frontal portrait composition, ensuring maximum documentary information about the subject's features and regalia. The brushwork is workmanlike rather than inspired, with the painter's primary commitment being to accurate description rather than stylistic distinction. Lighting is simple and direct.