Portrait of Black Hawk in 1833

Chief Black Hawk (original oil painting)


Robert Sully painted this original portrait of Black Hawk at Fortress Monroe, Virginia, while Black Hawk was confined there in 1833. After the battle of Bad Axe, Black Hawk surrendered to Indian agent Joseph Street at Prairie du Chien and was held first at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis and then at Fortress Monroe, before traveling through eastern cities and ultimately returning to the Sauk and Fox settlement in Iowa. This portrait was sold to the Society by the artist in 1855.


Related Topics: Territory to Statehood
The Black Hawk War
Creator: Sully, Robert M.
Pub Data: Wisconsin Historical Society
Citation: Sully, Robert M. "Chief Black Hawk." Oil painting in the Wisconsin Historical Museum. Online facsimile at:  http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=638; Visited on: 4/23/2024