James Otto Lewis (American, 1799-1858) Hand Colored Lithograph on Paper 

Chippeway Squaws
titled in margin and published by Lehman and Duval
(image size) 9 x 10 in.; (full sheet size) 19 x 12 in.
first quarter of 19th century

Although generally less well known than McKenney and Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America, James Otto Lewis' Aboriginal Portfolio was the first collection of American Indian portraits to be published. The first 72 plates were all based on portraits painted from life by Lewis (1799-1858). Years earlier, Lewis made a name for himself as a portraitist by painting (and later printing) the only known portrait of Daniel Boone. In the early 1820s, Lewis moved to Detroit and set up a portrait studio. There he painted a portrait of Tenskatawa (The Prophet), which was well received by Thomas McKenney, the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Lewis then became a regular member of treaty delegations in the upper Midwest, his role being to execute portraits of the various Indian dignitaries that attended.

In all, Lewis painted 50-60 of the most prominent Indian leaders, many of which were sent to Thomas McKenney for his planned publication of his History (27 of Lewis' works would eventually appear in those volumes). It is not known if Lewis was trying to outdo McKenney and Hall or was merely inspired by them, but he managed to get his Portfolio printed first. Lehman and Duval published ten monthly parts, starting in May 1835. The first 9 parts were published in good order, but the 10th only saw a very limited printing because of financial problems. So rare is this 10th part, for years many historians and bibliographers thought that only the first 9 parts were printed.

While many consider Lewis' work less refined than the romanticized McKenney and Hall plates, the Aboriginal Portfolio is highly important as it was the first in of this genre of artistic and ethnographic publications. Some scholars even argue that the awkwardness of Lewis' depictions is that his principle focus was accuracy of details. Regardless, complete sets (even those lacking the very scarce 10th part) rarely appear on the market.

Toning, and some foxing.  Creasing and minor tears to upper sheet, easily framed to eliminate.