Indian Figure in Profile

Henry Kirke Brown

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In September 1848 Brown traveled to Michigan’s Mackinac Island with his patron, Henry Gurdon Marquand, to prepare for his sculpture "Choosing of the Arrow" (2005.405). His visit coincided with a scheduled assembly of Chippewa and Ottawa, and he spent much of his time sketching and painting them. His portrayal of this man, though somewhat idealized, is also carefully observed. Brown faithfully delineates his sitter’s garb and includes details alluding to hunting and fishing. The canopy is a fishing net edged with cork floats, while objects hanging from the side supports include a decorated shield and a bison head.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art