Sharp knew Big Medicine as the Crow Chief of Police.

Butler purchased this painting in October, 1900 from his exhibition, Indian Portraits, at the Cincinnati Museum (sales ledgers, Sharp Papers) Another version was exhibited in Washington, DC at the Cosmos Club in 1901. In the mid-teens, Sharp painted a view of Big Medicine's Camp and exhibited it at the Hotel Gibson galleries in Cincinnati in January 1916. (whereabouts unknown)

Chief Big Medicine

Alternate Title:

Big Medicine, Crow; Chief Big Medicine -- now Chief of Police

Record ID: 328

Date: 1900

Medium: oil on canvas

Dimensions: 18 x 12 in.

Signature / Inscription: UR: CHIEF BIG MEDICINE / CROW. LR: J.H.DHARP. 1900

Owner: Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH

Accession Number: 913-O-515

Provenance:

The artist; Joseph G. Butler, Jr., Youngstown, OH, 1900; present owner by gift, 1913

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.

Chief Big Medicine

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