Existing comment:
Chief Thundercloud, 1856-1916
Born Dominique La Plante in French Canada, Chief Thundercloud of the Blackfoot tribe was a well-known artist's model and at one time a member of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. While the precise circumstances surrounding the creation of this work are unknown, presumably the young painter Eulabee Dix and Chief Thundercloud interacted while he was modeling in New York and she was studying at the Art Students League around 1900–1902. Dix was learning to paint on ivory at the time, and this vibrantly colored likeness was probably one of the first miniatures she completed in that medium.
Eulabee Dix, c 1901 |