Object Details
Artist
Henry Inman, 28 Oct 1801 - 17 Jan 1846
Copy after
Charles Bird King, 26 Sep 1785 - 18 Mar 1862
Sitter
Sequoyah, c. 1770 - Aug 1843
Exhibition Label
Born Cherokee town of Tuskegee, eastern Tennessee
Sequoyah, the son of a Cherokee woman and a fur trader from Virginia, was a warrior, hunter, and silversmith. For twelve years, he worked to devise a method of writing for the Cherokee language. His syllabary, which ultimately included eighty-six symbols representing each of the language’s syllables, was approved by the Cherokee chiefs in 1825. The system made possible a rapid spread of literacy throughout the Cherokee Nation and the creation of written documents, including a constitution in 1827. The following year, the Cherokee Phoenix, a weekly bilingual newspaper, began publication in New Echota, Georgia.
This portrait of Sequoyah is based on a painting by Charles Bird King, who is best known for his portrayals of Native Americans. The original work, which was commissioned by Superintendent of Indian Affairs Thomas McKenney, was destroyed by the fire that swept through the Smithsonian Castle in early 1865.
Nacido en el pueblo cherokee de Tuskegee, Tennessee
Sequoyah, hijo de una mujer cherokee y un tratante de pieles de Virginia, fue guerrero, cazador y platero. Trabajó 12 años en la creación de un sistema de escritura para la lengua cherokee. Su silabario llegó a incluir 86 símbolos que representaban cada sílaba de dicha lengua y fue aprobado por los jefes cherokees en 1825. El sistema facilitó la rápida alfabetización de la Nación Cherokee y la creación de documentos escritos, incluida una constitución en 1827. Al año siguiente comenzó a publicarse el semanario bilingüe Cherokee Phoenix en Nueva Echota, Georgia.
Este retrato de Sequoyah se basa en una pintura de Charles Bird King, quien se dio a conocer por sus imágenes de nativos americanos. La obra original, encargada por el superintendente de Asuntos Indígenas, Thomas McKenney, fue destruida por el incendio que sufrió el Castillo Smithsonian a inicios de 1865.
Provenance
Geoffrey B. Churchill, Wilbraham, Mass.; purchased 1979 NPG
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Date
c. 1830
Object number
NPG.79.174
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 76.8 x 64.1 x 2.5cm (30 1/4 x 25 1/4 x 1")
Frame: 89.5 x 77.5 x 8.9cm (35 1/4 x 30 1/2 x 3 1/2")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition
Out of Many: Portraits from 1600 to 1900
On View
NPG, East Gallery 132
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Symbols & Motifs\Medal\Peace medal
Interior
Printed Material\Document
Equipment\Smoking Implements\Pipe\Peace pipe
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table\Writing table
Equipment\Drafting & Writing Implements\Writing implement\Pen\Quill
Container\Inkwell
Costume\Headgear\Turban
Costume\Robe\Banyan
Sequoyah: Male
Sequoyah: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Educator
Sequoyah: Arts and Culture\Education and Scholarship\Scholar\Linguist
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.79.174