Sacramento Indian

Nahl’s portrait presents a rare “fine art” depiction of culturally assimilated Native American man, a subject usually confined to ephemeral propaganda such as before-and-after photographs produced by social reformers. Dressed in a jacket and tie and shown outdoors with chickens and dogs, the sitter is awkwardly posed between two cultures and two identities. Today, this painting provides a counterpoint to the stereotypical images of Native Americans typically found in American museums.