‘The Open Door’ by Els-Kwau-Ta-Waw

Framed lithograph with hand coloring on paper, "Els-Kwau-Ta-Waw, The Open Door," after Charles Bird King (American, 1785-1862), from "History of the Indian Tribes of North America," printed by Lehman & Duval, published by E.C. Biddle (Edward C. Biddle, American, 1808-1893), Philadelphia.

This historic folio, Native American lithograph is from Thomas L. McKenney & James Hall’s History of the Indian Tribes of North America. The work was published in Philadelphia by Frederick W. Greenough in 1838. An admirer and supporter of the American Indians, Thomas McKenney spent his tenure in office fighting for their cause and preserving their legacy through a gallery of paintings that were commissioned by various artists. Unfortunately, the original paintings burned in a fire, and all that is left to remember these Indians are the lithographs found in History which were modeled off the paintings. Charles Bird King was an American portrait painter that was commissioned by McKenney to paint the portraits of the Indians. King made many of the 143 paintings from which the lithographs were created.