Bicentennial Indian
Date1975
Mediumlithograph on paper
DimensionsImage: 22 1/4 × 29 1/2 inches (56.5 × 74.9 cm)
Sheet: 22 1/4 × 29 1/2 inches (56.5 × 74.9 cm)
Matted: 32 × 40 inches (81.3 × 101.6 cm)
Portfolio/SeriesKent Bicentennial portfolio, "Spirit of Independence"
Credit LineGift of Lorillard, a Division of Loew’s Theatres, Inc.
Object number1977.24
Copyright© Estate of Fritz Scholder.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextFritz Scholder, a self-described “non-Indian Indian” (he was one-quarter Luiseño, a group of indigenous people who lived in California), was determined not to be defined by his heritage while also compelled to address the subject matter in his art. Scholder’s depictions of Native Americans placed them in real historical narratives of their contemporary moment rather than in romanticized visions of their pain and glory. This depiction of a Native chief shows the subject posing for a portrait while sitting on a Victorian settee; he is dressed in a requisitioned American flag and holds an eagle feather to represent the strength and survival of the sitter.
Text written for the exhibition Spirit of Independence, July 1-December 1, 2020.
