(Osage People in France) Six Indiens Rouges de la Tribu des Grands Osages, Arrivés Du Missouri au Havre, Le 27 Juillet 1827, sur le Navire Americain New-England, Cap. Hunt.

Delaunay

Published by Delaunay, 1827

About this Item

Delaunay / 1827 / (Osage People in France) Six Indiens Rouges de la Tribu des Grands Osages, Arriv s Du Missouri au Havre, Le 27 Juillet 1827, sur le Navire Americain New-England, Cap. Hunt. (Safe 3, 113566) Octavo. Original blue wrappers. Untrimmed. 36 pages plus hand-colored lithograph frontispiece plate. Minimal marginal foxing to text leaves. Overall a very nice example, complete with the colored plate and half title. Osages Touring Europe in 1827 - With a Fine Hand Colored Lithograph Plate Very rare booklet about the six Osage people brought to France in 1827. In 1827, David Delaunay, a Parisian impresario and bookseller, orchestrated the voyage of six Osage Indians from Missouri to France, where their arrival created a sensation among the public. The present work, styled troisieme edition on the title page, was expanded from the 28-page first and second editions printed at Havre and Bruxelles, respectively. All three editions are very rare, and few examples have survived. Hoping to profit from European fascination with Native Americans, Delaunay exhibited the group in Havre and Paris, promoting them through pamphlets such as the present rare booklet, which fueled public interest. The visit was framed by a romantic legend that one of the Osage s ancestors had journeyed to France during the reign of Louis XIV and been warmly welcomed at court - a tradition said to have inspired their modern voyage. Led by Kishagashugah, described as a prince of royal blood, the six Osages were received with a mix of curiosity and a tinge of regret in a country that had only recently ceded its former North American territories. On August 21, 1827, the Osages were "accorded an audience" with the King of France. The chief or prince addressed His Majesty as follows: My great father, in my youth I heard my father speak of the French nation. I formed then the purpose of visiting this nation when I should become grown. I have become a man, and I have accomplished my desire. I am today with my companions among the French people whom we love so much, and I have the happiness to be in the presence of their King. We salute France! Delaunay's exhibition of six Osage men and women in France in 1827 exemplifies the European fascination with Native Americans during the early nineteenth century. Their arrival was part of a broader trend in which indigenous peoples were displayed to curious audiences, a phenomenon seen elsewhere in the work of showmen like William Bullock in London and, slightly later, in George Catlin s exhibitions across Europe. Promoted through rare pamphlets such as Six Indiens Rouges, the Osages visit stirred both romanticized interest and underlying nostalgia in a France that had only recently lost its North American colonies. The episode reflects the commercial opportunism and popular imagination that shaped European encounters with Native Americans during this period. The beautiful hand-colored plate depicts the six Osage people and was lithographed by Pierre Langlum after artwork by Guillaume-Fran ois Colson. An article about this publication appeared in the American Anthropologist, which described the plate as follows: Les Indiens Osages has a colored frontispiece representing the six visitors. The men, as far as scanty clothing, are sufficiently Indian, but the women's gowns betray a French touch. These are of striped goods, one red and white, the other blue and white; the skirt falls a little below the knees, and is finished around the bottom with a band of red or blue ; a similar band outlines the low neck, forms a belt, and binds the short puffed sleeves. The women stand with arms folded, their heels together, and toes turned out, as if taking "the first position" in a French dancing lesson. Their hair falls in lo.

Seller Inventory # 113566

Bibliographic Details

• Title: (Osage People in France) Six Indiens Rouges de la Tribu des Grands Osages, Arrivés Du Missouri au Havre, Le 27 Juillet 1827, sur le Navire Americain New-England, Cap. Hunt.
• Publisher: Delaunay
• Publication Date: 1827
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: VG
• Book Type: Book
• Seller catalogs:
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