The Aboriginal Port Folio - photo 1
The Aboriginal Port Folio - photo 2
The Aboriginal Port Folio - photo 3
The Aboriginal Port Folio - photo 4
The Aboriginal Port Folio - photo 5
The Aboriginal Port Folio - photo 6

The Aboriginal Port Folio

Lot 55
16.06.2023 16:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Starting price
$ 40 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 965153
Lot 55 | The Aboriginal Port Folio
Estimate value
$ 40 000 – 60 000
The Aboriginal Port Folio
James Otto Lewis, 1835
LEWIS, James Otto (1799-1858). The Aboriginal Port Folio. Philadelphia: [Published by the Author, 1835-1836] (cover title).

Lewis's celebrated work, this copy with eight "famously rare" additional portraits for a total of 72. "This was the first attempt made in the United States at a large scale work devoted to the American Indian. Lewis conceived the idea of a folio series of Indian portraits while accompanying Gov. Lewis Cass of Michigan on a tour of the Great Lakes in 1825-1827. He was not able to begin publication until 1835, when the work was advertised as ten parts, each with eight plates, issued in wrappers. The lithographers, George Lehman and Peter S. Duval, did a creditable job, but could not overcome the miserable execution of poor Lewis. Subscribers dropped away, and the last two parts are famously rare as a result. The supplement in a promised broadside advertisement never appeared. Nonetheless, it is a pioneering work among such publications" (Stamped with a National Character).

This copy has all of the eight plates that would have comprised part nine. They are portraits of "A Sioux Chief," "O-Wan-Ich-Koh or The Little Elk, A Winnebago Chief," "Tens-Qua-Ta-Wa or The One That Opens the Door, Shawnese Prophet," "Wa-Kaun or The Snake, A Winnebago Chief," "Jack-O-Pa or The Six, A Chippeway Chief," "Wa-Em-Boesh-Kaa, A Chippeway Chief," "A-Ta-Conse or The Young Rein Deer, A Chippeway Chief," and "Waa-Bin-De-Ba or The White Headed Eagle, A Chippeway Chief." Of these, Reese identifies "The One That Opens the Door" as the first Indian portrait which Lewis painted, in 1823 in Detroit. Tenskwatawa (1775-1836) was a spiritual and resistance leader of the Shawnee tribe and the younger brother of the famous chief Tecumseh. America Pictured to the Life 54; Bennett p. 68; Bobins 55; Field 936; Howes L-315; Reese, James Otto Lewis and His Aboriginal Port Folio, New Haven 2008; Stamped with a National Character, 23; Sabin 40812.

Folio (450 x 280mm). Letterpress advertisements by Lewis for parts 1, 2 & 3 as issued. 72 (of 80) hand-colored lithographed plates after Lewis by Lehman & Duval. Housed with color photographs of the plates which would have been in part 8. Original letterpress wrapper for part 5 bound in; modern red half morocco over 19th-century cloth, contemporary endpapers; modern quarter morocco clamshell box.Lewis, James Otto
Great Lakes
Native Americans
Auction house category:Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
16.06.2023
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.