White House Guest Book

Hand-colored portraits of Young Ma Has Kah, Chief of the Ioway, and Eagle of Delight, wife of Chief Shaumonekusse of the Otoe tribe, inspired my translation in the medium of textiles. Between 1821-22, President James Monroe invited prominent Native American chiefs, and their wives, for meetings at the White House to discuss trade and tribal assets. Some were invited to sit for original portraits by Charles Bird King, which were thereafter created as lithographs by Henry Inman. These distinctive images were an irresistible choice for my experimentation with more complex dye and print techniques, and moving the quilted pages into a third dimension. (Original images courtesy Library of Congress.)