Shar-i-tar-ish, A Pawnee Chief Lithograph

This is a hand-colored lithograph of 'Shar-i-tar-ish, A Pawnee Chief,' originally published as part of McKenney and Hall's 'History of the Indian Tribes of North America.' The portrait depicts the young chief with a red-painted face and a distinctive deer-tail roach headdress. He wears multiple strands of trade bead necklaces and a large silver peace medal featuring a profile of a U.S. President. The figure is draped in a dark buffalo robe across his shoulder. The text at the bottom identifies the subject and the publisher, 'J.T. Bowen, Phila,' with an 1841 copyright date. The printing demonstrates high-quality period lithography with delicate hand-tinting in pinks, reds, and earth tones. The artwork is housed in a contemporary, highly decorative dark wood frame featuring a repeating carved leaf/shingle pattern with orbital motifs at the centers and corners. The piece is professionally matted with multiple layers, including a thin red fillet that complements the subject's coloring. The paper shows minor signs of aging consistent with the mid-19th-century production, though modern glass and framing protect it from cumulative environmental wear. This specific plate is highly regarded for its detailed rendering of Pawnee regalia and facial characteristics.