Saturday, April 11, 2015

Art of the American West. John Wesley Jarvis. A-Z Challenge

  Black Hawk and His son, Whirling Thunder, 1833.  John Wesley Jarvis (1780-1840)


Some Indian tribes were involved in the War of 1812 and fought with the British.  Black Hawk and his tribe were one of them, thinking that with British victory, they would get back their lands.

Black Hawk was one of the important resistant leaders of the Sauk and Fox Indians, part of the Algonquian peoples of the Great Lakes/Upper Midwest region.  The war he was part of was named the "Black Hawk War of 1812" and was fought over the illegal seizures of Indian homelands which resulted in the famous "Trail of Tears." This infamous event with the defeat of the Sauks and the Foxes, and other tribes as well. was the forced relocation of the Indians,


After the war, all the captives including Black Hawk and his son, were taken on a circuit show and exhibited to crowds of the curious, and in some areas where the feelings against the Indians was strong, they were greeted with riots and lynch mobs.  It has been said that some who witnessed these displays, began to object because Black Hawk and Whirling Thunder endured the exhibits with quiet and sad dignity.


During his captivity, Black Hawk was interviewed for a biography, and sat for several portraits.  He was allowed to return to his tribe where he died in in 1838.

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John Wesley Jarvis was born in South Shields England and moved to the United States in the 1780's. His most important work was his commission for six full-length portraits of the naval heroes of the War of 1812.  Examples of his paintings are in the collections of the New York Historical Society and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.



23 comments:

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    1. It is. Doing this challenge has made me want to do more research into the period between 1800-1900 and the treatment of the Indians, treaties, etc. Thanks, Jeff.

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  2. And now he has a hockey team named after him. :(

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    1. What do you both think about the "flap" about naming sports teams after Indian tribes?

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  3. He certainly had a unique style; very different from most artists of his time.

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    1. I think they are sympathetic portraits. There was this desire by our government to created portraits of the Indians. Some were commissioned, some not. But many were painted while the Indians were held captive by the United States. More questions for me to research.

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  4. Hi Nat - people are extraordinary ... realising that flight isn't possible they endure their indignities with a stoic resilience. Gosh these two look incredible personalities.

    Black Hawk and his son Whirling Thunder - amazingly brought to light by Jarvis ... so interesting to learn about - thank you .. cheers Hilary

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    1. Wells said, Hilary. They are both handsome men.

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  5. Interesting story about these two Indians. Pity to see Black Hawk in Western Dress too. Not only did they get defeated but they were humiliated too. I said it before, the white man has a lot to answer for.

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    1. Why the formal dress? Interesting. To dress up to meet our government officials? Not Black Hawks idea, I think.

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  6. The Cherokee capital was in Georgia, named New Echota. I will never forgive US President Andrew Jackson for not adhering to the Supreme Court Mandate and forcing the Native Americans out of their land. I really believe that his portrait should be removed from the US $20 bill and a famous woman placed instead. The two portraits you show are outstanding.

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    1. Thank you, Vagabonde. I understand that Andrew Jackson was adamant about taking the captured Indian chiefs to various part of the developed Eastern coast to show them what they were up against and that there was no hope that they could go back to life as it was for them.

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  7. Black Hawk looks very stoic but has a great sadness about his eyes - I agree with others that the Western dress looks like a means of subjugation on him - his son still has that look of hope and it seems so wrong what happened to an entire nation :( Special Teaching at Pempi’s Palace

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    1. The artist really captured the sad spirit of those two men.

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  8. What a beautifully sad piece of art, and such a sorrowful piece of history attached to it. Thank you for sharing! Happy A-Zing.

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    1. Thank you Sarah, I am cybering over to your blog.

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  9. Amazing artwork - and like some said above - heartbreakingly sad as a representation of what people can do to each other...

    Thanks for sharing. What's the old saying, if we don't remember history, we're destined to repeat it....

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    1. Thanks, Mark. Great to "see" you again. How are your boys? I am learning a lot with this challenge, more questions than answers though.

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  10. I suppose that this is the kind of portrait that was largely replaced by the advent of photography. It is interesting as an historical document. Also it's very poignant when viewed with the historical background that you have supplied Natasha. That period was at the height of British imperialism so I think they would have been met with treachery if the British had been victorious.
    Listening to Mumford and Son, the 'Babel' album. English acoustic folk-rock.
    CLICK HERE for Bazza’s fabulous Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

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    1. I think you are right, bazza, the British would never have ceded land back to the Indians. There has to be a book about it somewhere, a great summer project.

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  11. They certainly show dignity in the portrait. Imagine how it would be to have your homeland taken from you and then exhibited to jeering crowds. We need to remember these things.

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  12. A circus atmosphere it was. Did any painter paint those scenes, I wonder? Lots of reading to do after the challenge.

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