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Collections

Henry Inman
No-Tin (Wind), a Chippewa Chief1832-1833

On view:
Geffen Galleries, Transatlantic Exchange and Its Legacies
Oil painting portrait, head and shoulders of a man with brown skin, face paint in coral and white bands, wearing a salmon-colored hat with white and peacock feathers
Oil painting detail of a peacock feather against a dark gray-brown background, with a vivid green and black ocellus surrounded by radiating golden-brown barbs; white feathers visible at upper left.
Oil painting of a close-up peacock feather eye, with a deep black ocellus ringed in bright green, surrounded by radiating gold and brown barbs rendered in loose, directional brushwork against a dark gray background.
Oil painting detail showing a white-and-gray feather with dark banding and a peacock feather with iridescent green eye against a dark brown background, with the partial profile of a figure at right edge.
Oil painting, close-cropped detail of a face with dark straight hair and blunt fringe, rendered in warm orange-red tones with broad, smooth brushwork against a dark gray background.
Oil painting study of a single human eye with dark brown iris and prominent brow, rendered against a warm orange-red ground with visible craquelure throughout the surface.
Artist or Maker
Henry Inman
United States, New York, Utica, 1801-1846
Title
No-Tin (Wind), a Chippewa Chief
Date Made
1832-1833
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Canvas: 30 1/2 × 25 3/4 in. (77.47 × 65.41 cm) Frame: 38 1/2 × 33 1/2 × 2 7/8 in. (97.79 × 85.09 × 7.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the 2008 Collectors Committee
Accession Number
M.2008.58
Classification
Paintings
Collecting Area
American Art
Curatorial Notes

No-Tin, which means "wind," was an active chief and leader of the Chippewa peoples, one of the most powerful tribes in the Great Lakes territory. The beautifully detailed ostrich plume, eagle feather, bead choker, and orange and white face paint reflect Chippewa attire typically used for special occasions. Henry Inman’s portrait is an early example of the effort that American artists made to depict Native Americans for national posterity; Inman painted over 130 portraits of Indian chiefs. By painting these leaders on a grand scale, Inman deliberately set them on par with other noted Anglo American sitters.

Selected Bibliography
  • Kim, Woollin, Jinmyung Kim, and Songhyuk Yang, eds. Art Across America. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2013.
  • Miller, Angela, and Chris McAuliffe, eds. America: Painting a Nation. Sydney: Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2013.