Books and Manuscripts

The First Large Scale American Work Devoted to Native Americans

Lewis, J(ames).O(tto).
The Aboriginal Port Folio
Philadelphia: (Published by the Author, May, 1835-December, 1835). First edition, with eight (of ten) parts, as usual. Folio, 19 x 11 3/4 in. (483 x 298 mm). Illustrated with 64 (of 80, as usual) hand-colored lithographic plates, by J. Barincou after Lewis, printed by Lehman & Duval; with tissue guards. With three letterpress ad leaves (all issued) and original front printed blue wrapper for fifth part bound in. Three-quarter maroon calf over contemporary tan cloth-covered boards, spine replaced, boards rubbed and soiled; all edges trimmed; contemporary yellow endpapers, joints now reinforced with contemporary cloth; contemporary ownership signature of “Thomas Pardoe Malvern” at top of first ad leaf; some small scattered chipping along edges of some plates, now repaired; several tissue guards repaired or missing; light foxing to plates, largely confined to margins, scattered soiling to same. Howes L-315; Field 936; Reese, Stamped With a National Character 23; Eberstadt 131:418; Library Company, Philadelphia on Stone, pp. 131

Otto Lewis's rare and important portfolio on the North American Indian, the first series of Native American portraits published in the United States, preceding McKenney and Hall's History of the Indian Tribes of North America by a year. This is “the first attempt made in the United States at a large scale work devoted to the American Indian" (Reese), and it was the first large scale work in American lithography. 

In 1823, Lewis was hired by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to produce official portraits of Native Americans. From 1825-27 he accompanied Governor Lewis Cass of Michigan on a tour of the Great Lakes region, and was present at the treaties of Prairie du Chien, Fort Wayne, Fond du Lac, Mississinewa, and Green Bay. It was at this time that Lewis began making portrait sketches of the chiefs and members of the Potawatomi, Winnebago, Shawnee, Sioux, Miami, Fox, and Iowa tribes, among others. Several of these “principal originals”, as Lewis called these, were subsequently copied by Charles Bird King for McKenney and Hall's then forthcoming and aforementioned portfolio, History of the Indian Tribes of North America. “Apparently angered at what he perceived to be a lack of recognition and proper renumeration from McKenney, Lewis decided to issue his own rival volume, The Aboriginal Port-Folio, hiring Lehman & Duval to do the lithographs.” (Philadelphia on Stone, p. 131) 

Lewis began work on this series in 1835 and advertised the portfolio to be issued in ten parts, each part in wrappers and containing eight plates. Likely with the knowledge of the imminent release of McKenney and Hall's portfolio, the first eight parts of Aboriginal Port Folio were quickly issued between May and December of 1835. Reese has estimated that there were only 300 initial subscriptions, but with the publication of McKenney and Hall's portfolio, beginning in 1836, Lewis struggled to maintain subscribers. Eclipsed by their higher quality work, only a very small amount of the ninth and tenth parts were ever printed, and thus complete sets with all ten parts and all 80 plates are practically unobtainable.