Wanaus, Tuscarora Indian

1868

Esther Frances Alexander

Associated Names
Esther Frances Alexander

Artist, American, 1837 - 1917

The sketch shows the upper half of two figures: a woman and a child. The woman is seated, holding the child in her lap. She has long, dark hair in a bun and a calm expression. The child, nestled in her arms, gazes to the side. Both are dressed in simple garments. The background is plain, and there is text in the bottom left corner identifying them as "Wanaus. Tuscarora Indian, Niagara September 1st, 1868."

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink on heavy ivory card stock

  • Credit Line

    John Davis Hatch Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 22.5 × 16.6 cm (8 7/8 × 6 9/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1979.20.3

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Holman's Book Shop, Boston); acquired in 1937 by John Davis Hatch [1907-1996]; gift 1979 to the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Exhibition History

-1

  • 100 American Drawings: Loan Exhibition from the Collection of John Davis Hatch, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin; Heim Gallery, London; Galerie Heim, Paris; Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool; Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, 1976-1977, no. 55 and Pl. 57.

Bibliography

1976

  • Hatch, John Davis. 100 American Drawings: Loan Exhibition from the Collection of John Davis Hatch. London: Heim Gallery, 1976, no. 55.

2025

  • Musacchio, Jacqueline Marie. The Art and Life of Francesca Alexander, 1837 - 1917. London, 2025: 84 and fig. 70

Inscriptions

lower left in pen and brown ink: Wanaus - Tuscarora indian / Niagara - September 1st 1868.
upper center verso in graphite: (not deciphered) 256/ Tuscadora indian, Niagara 1868/ Fr. Alexander 1837-1917/ Purchased (not deciphered) 1937.

Wikidata ID

Q64559927

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