American Art Collaborative

A slight tilt of the head and a direct gaze reflect this sitter’s self-assurance. George Catlin admired Eagle’s Ribs as a brave warrior, writing that he was “one of the extraordinary men of the Blackfoot” and that he owned “eight scalps, which he says he has taken from the heads of trappers and traders with his own hand.” Catlin also noted that the chief’s ornate costume was covered with scalplocks both “savage and civil.” (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 1, no. 5, 1841; reprint 1973