Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce
This particular piece, with its Standard glaze of orange-brown, reflects the nineteenth-century palette. The vivid portrait of the beloved and proud Chief Joseph of the Nez Perces is a sentimental reminder of the romance of the American West. Native Americans were a source of interest to cultured Americans for their relationship with nature. Rookwood decorators copied portraits of Native Americans from photographs in the pottery's archives. Native Americans were also in Cincinnati in 1895, when Cree from Montana were abandoned by a Wild West Show, and again in 1896, when Sicangu Sioux camped on the grounds of the Cincinnati Zoo for three months during the summer. For other examples of Rookwood Pottery see: 43.67, 69.17, 69.37.1, 69.37.2, 69.37.3, 1973.93, 1974.214.28, 1980.452, 1980.453, 1981.443, L.1999.101 1991.214, and 1991.335.
Artwork Details
- Title: Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce
- Designer: Designed by William Purcell McDonald (American, Cincinnati, Ohio 1864–1931 Cincinnati, Ohio)
- Manufacturer: Manufactured by Rookwood Pottery Company (American, Cincinnati, Ohio 1880–1967)
- Date: 1898
- Geography: Made in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
- Culture: American
- Medium: Earthenware
- Dimensions: H. 14 in. (35.6 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of Wells M. Sawyer, 1945
- Object Number: 45.147
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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