Oto Man

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Artist

Karl Bodmer

Birth and death dates

1809 - 1893

Artist Nationality

Swiss

Title

Oto Man

Date

May 12, 1834

Dimensions

12 5/8 × 10 1/16 in. (32.1 × 25.6 cm)

Medium

Graphite, charcoal, ink and watercolor on paper

Institution

Joslyn Art Museum

Credit Line

Gift of the Enron Art Foundation

Accession Number

1986.49.240

Rights (i.e. copyright information)

Joslyn Art Museum

Photographer credit

Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2019

Commentary

The hair on the crown of this Oto man's head has been closely cropped or plucked, leaving an upright ridge. Referred to as "roaching," this hair style was especially popular among southern Siouan peoples and probably had a Woodlands origin. A braided lock on the crown, like the one seen here, was also common; war emblems or ornaments were often tied to it. The pendant suspended from the band around the man's neck appears to be a small padlock, an interesting adaptive use of a trade item. sketched by Bodmer at Pilcher's trading post on the return downriver in May 1834, this man was later pictured with a Missouri man (Image 1986.49.239) and a Ponca chief (Image 1986.49.241) in Tableau 7 of the aquatint atlas that accompanied Travels in the Interior of North America. The faint outline of another figure at the right suggests that this drawing may be one of the preliminary compositions for that aquatint.

References in Journal

May 12, 1834

Labels:

genre, portrait

Approximate Depicted Location:

Pilcher's Trading Post, Nebraska