May 2021 Auction Ends Thursday, May 27th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/27/2021
Very scarce complete set of the ''Aboriginal Port Folio'', containing 80 hand-colored lithographs by Native American visual chronicler James Otto Lewis, whose travels to various treaty ceremonies during the early 19th century produced lasting portraits of Native American leaders and customs. Lewis was the first to create such artwork, preceding McKenney & Hall by several years. Philadelphia: George Lehman and Peter S. Duvall, 1835-1838.
After painting portraits of members from the Sioux, Potawatomi, Winnebago, Fox, Shawnee, Miami, and Iowa tribes, Lewis brought his paintings to Philadelphia for lithography, releasing them by subscription in 10 installments of 8 lithographs apiece. Each installment grew more scarce as subscriptions trailed off with the impending publication of the more comprehensive (and more formally posed) ''History of the Indian Tribes of North America'' by McKenney & Hall, whose portrait artist Charles Bird King even copied some of Lewis' paintings. As a result, the full collection of 80 lithographs of ''The Aboriginal Port Folio'' is so scarce that only five to ten copies are known to exist. To make matters worse, Lewis' original paintings were destroyed in the Smithsonian fire in 1865.
This set is in very good to near fine condition, with only minor scattered foxing affecting some sheets. In addition to the 80 pictorial lithographs, set also includes the lithograph title page and three leaves of advertisements, making it a truly complete set. Lithographs each measure 11.5'' x 18.125'', housed in three-quarter red morocco clamshell case with custom lettering to spine. One of the few visual remembrances of this important collection preserved for history.
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Complete Set of 80 Hand-Colored Lithographs of ''The Aboriginal Port Folio'' by James Otto Lewis From 1835-1838 -- Extremely Scarce Complete Set
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