Existing comment:
George Catlin
Ru-ton-wee-me, Pigeon on the Wing
1844
oil on canvas
Catlin's portraits of the Iowa women focused on their garments. Ru-ton-wee-me faces the viewer but does not make eye contact. Her thoughtful gaze is distant. She wears her hair in two braids, which can suggest that she was unmarried, as many married women wore their hair in a single braid.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison Jr., 1985.66.526 |