Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10

Mandan Warriors and Chief – 19th Century Ethnographic Print of Indigenous Canada

$131.63
£98.31
€110
CA$181.35
A$197.63
CHF 104.66
MX$2,373.80
NOK 1,324.97
SEK 1,218.18
DKK 838.01

About the Item

Mandan Warriors and Chief – 19th Century Ethnographic Print of Indigenous Canada This detailed 19th-century ethnographic print portrays three Mandan men engaged in ceremonial interaction, highlighting the cultural richness and visual traditions of one of North America's most historically significant Indigenous peoples. The scene is titled “Indiens Mandans,” and was engraved by Lemaitre after original sketches from the collection of Alexandre Vattemare, a French collector and cultural ambassador. The plate was published in France around 1850 as part of a visual compendium on the Americas. At right stands a Mandan chief, distinguished by his elaborate feathered headdress with horns, a buffalo-hide robe, and ceremonial necklace. He extends a long pipe or staff adorned with feathers and hair tassels toward the two men at left, suggesting a ritual or diplomatic exchange. The two other men wear long robes, beaded belts, and decorative hairpieces. One holds a tomahawk, the other wears a large gorget-like ornament, and both are marked by distinctive cultural regalia. The figures are rendered with remarkable attention to detail, from their moccasins to their expressive features. The Mandan were a sedentary, agrarian Plains tribe known for their fortified earth lodges, ceremonial practices, and interaction with early American and European explorers. By the time this engraving was made, the Mandan population had been devastated by smallpox, but they were still widely studied by ethnographers and depicted in early travel literature. This steel engraving technique allows for fine rendering of textile textures, facial detail, and ornamentation. It was a preferred method for ethnographic and documentary illustration during the 19th century, particularly in French and German publications. Condition: Good condition overall. Light age-toning and a few minor foxing spots in the margin. Mild creasing at upper edge. Top margin shows wear from previous binding, outside the image. Paper is stable and the image is sharp and well-inked. Framing tips: A dark walnut or black wood frame would suit the subject well, especially paired with a warm beige or sand-colored mat. A fine inner border in dark red or ochre could accentuate the natural tones and enhance the historical mood of the piece. Technique: Steel engraving Maker: Lemaitre after Vattemare, France, c. 1850
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 4.93 in (12.5 cm)Width: 8.08 in (20.5 cm)Depth: 0.01 in (0.2 mm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Paper,Engraved
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1850
  • Condition:
    Condition: Good condition overall. Light age-toning and a few minor foxing spots in the margin. Mild creasing at upper edge. Top margin shows wear from previous binding, outside the image. Paper is stable and the image is sharp and well-inked.
  • Seller Location:
    Langweer, NL
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: BG-05150-141stDibs: LU3054346148212

More From This Seller

View All
Indigenous Peoples Near Quebec – 19th Century Ethnographic Print of Canada
Located in Langweer, NL
Indigenous Peoples Near Quebec – 19th Century Ethnographic Print of Canada This antique print offers a striking ethnographic view of Indigenous peoples from the region surrounding Q...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century French Prints

Materials

Paper

Antique Costume Print of Crow Indians by Wahlen 1843
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique costume print titled 'Indiens-Corbeaux'. Original antique print of Crow Indians. This print originates from 'Moeurs, usages et costumes de tous les...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century French Prints

Materials

Paper

Plains Indigenous Life and Buffalo Hunt – Set of 19th Century Canadian Engraving
Located in Langweer, NL
Plains Indigenous Life and Buffalo Hunt – Set of 19th Century Canadian Engravings This striking vertical trio of antique steel engravings offers a rare and detailed ethnographic gli...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century French Prints

Materials

Paper

Antique Lithograph of the Aborigines of North America, 1882
Located in Langweer, NL
Experience a captivating glimpse into the world of 19th-century ethnography with the "Aborigines of North America", an antique print from Blackie's Comprehensive Atlas and Geography,...
Category

Antique 1880s Prints

Materials

Paper

Antique Print of Two Blackfoot Chiefs and a Kutenai Leader Made after Bodmer
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique print titled 'Chef der Blut Indianer - Kriegs Chef er Pekan Indianer - Kutanä Indianer'. Aquatint engraving by Hürlimann after Bodmer. It shows two Blackfoot chiefs and a Kut...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century Prints

Materials

Paper

Native American Camp Scene – Trapper and Buffalo Hunters, c.1845
Located in Langweer, NL
Title: Native American Camp Scene – Trapper and Buffalo Hunters, c.1845 Description: This finely hand-colored lithograph, titled “Amérique du Nord – États-Unis,” originates from Le ...
Category

Antique 1840s French Prints

Materials

Paper

You May Also Like

Indigenous People, North America, mid 19th century lithograph.
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
'Fisom degli abiti dell' America Nord-oe / Uomo donna dell' Isola Nootka' / 'Nipissonghi / Ottovaeri' Italian lithograph, c1841. Originally from 'Galleria universale di tutti i popo...
Category

Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Indiens Corbeaux - Lithograph by Auguste Wahlen - 1844
Located in Roma, IT
Indiens Corbeaux is a hand colored lithographs realized by Auguste Wahlen in 1844. Good conditions. The artwork belongs to the Suite Moeurs, usages et costumes de tous les peuples ...
Category

1840s Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Wa-Na-Ta, Chief of the Sioux: Original Hand-colored McKenney Hall Lithograph
By McKenney Hall
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 19th century hand-colored McKenney and Hall lithographic portrait of a Native American entitled "Wa-Na-Ta, Grand Chief of the Sio...
Category

Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

"A Group Of California Indians" Wood Cut Engraving. C 1856. Very Rare. Americana
Located in Incline Village, NV
This is a very rare and important original image of early Western Americana, or more specifically, "Californiana". Mid 19th century and researched to have been engraved in 1856, it captures, in incredible detail, a group of twelve Native American Indians with a baby in a papoose, gathered together in front of their hanging tools, baskets, implements and weaponry behind them on a "tent like" backdrop. There are men, women, young, and elderly. It is a signed wood cut engraving applied in ink by well known wood cut engraver of the mid 19th century, William J. Peirce (active 1851-1879). It is in excellent all original condition with no additions, no restoration of any kind and it is housed in it's original 1 1/2" double beveled wooden birds eye maple veneered frame with a gilt 1/2" filet interior border. "A Group Of California Indians" is engraved at the base along with a non-descript notation "For description see page 381" which appears in the margin, in addition to an illegible signature. Both these line items are also noted by the New York Public Library, where a digital example exists from the esteemed collection of "The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division Picture Collection", which was assembled in 1986 and recently digitalized. The Library of Congress also memorializes this image and theirs is similarly a digital image. My example came out of the Grant Smith Collection of "Californiana", as is noted on the back of the framed engraving. He was located at Main Street in Bolinas, California (see images on the rear for provenance). Research reveals that he was a direct descendant of the coastal Miwok people who built a settlement in the Bolinas lagoon area. The engraving is referenced in both the New York Library and The Library of Congress as "A Group of California Indians". It is one of the earlier images you will find, along with McKenny and Hall lithographed mages of Native American Indians; and because of it's subject matter and extreme rarity, "A Group Of California Indians" commands attention and interest from the Western art collectors' arena. California became a state on September 9, 1850 making this one of the earliest known images (Circa 1856) of "Californiana" and California Native American...
Category

Antique 1850s American Native American Native American Objects

Materials

Paper

Wa-Kawn, A Winnebago Chief: Folio-sized Hand-colored McKenney Hall Lithograph
By McKenney Hall
Located in Alamo, CA
This is an original 19th century hand-colored folio-size McKenney and Hall lithograph of a Native American entitled "Wa-Kawn, A Winnebago Chief", after a painting by Charles Bird Kin...
Category

Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Portrait Prints

Materials

Engraving

Wedding, Indigenous Peoples, Canada, North America, mid 19th century lithograph.
Located in Melbourne, Victoria
'Cerimonia nuziale degl' Indiani nel Canada' / 'Cerimonia di uno scioglim : di matrimonio degl' Indiani nel Canada' Italian lithograph, c1841. Originally from 'Galleria universale d...
Category

Mid-19th Century Naturalistic Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph