Sharp's exhibition records for 1917 and 1918 are not available, but this painting was illustrated in the magazine Art and Archaeology (January/February, 1918) which would suggest that it was painted in 1917. It had been part of a Taos Society of Artists exhibition assembled for the opening of the new art museum as part of the Museum of New Mexico .

A painting of this title was shown in Sharp's Exhibition of Indian Paintings, at Cincinnati's Hotel Gibson in late 1919 and nearly a decade later at the Schroeder Galleries, Pasadena, CA, 1927 (Pasadena Star-News, “Sees Customs of Indians Recorded,” 2/8/1927). According to Sharp's sales ledgers, it was acquired by Thomas Gilcrease in 1946 for $1,250. (Sharp Papers)

The Tribal Historian

Alternate Title:

The Tribal Historian, Taos

Record ID: 40

Date: ca.1917; [1900]

Medium: oil on canvas

Dimensions: 34 3/4 x 40 1/2 in.

Signature / Inscription:

LL: JHSHARP. Inscribed on verso: "$2000. The Tribal Historian by J.H.Sharp"

Owner: Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK

Accession Number: 0137.308

Provenance:

The artist; Thomas Gilcrease, Tulsa, OK, 1946; The Thomas Gilcrease Foundation, Tulsa, OK, 1955; present owner by gift

Created concurrently with Peter Hassrick's 2018 Whitney West publication The Life & Art of Joseph Henry Sharp, this online catalogue highlights more than 700 works by J.H. Sharp that are held in public collections.

The Tribal Historian

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