Paper That Talks Two Ways, The Treaty Signing
Howard Terpning
Limited Edition Print
Giclée Canvas
65 × 54 in
Museum Edition, Personal Commission Edition
Artwork Description
In the painting, we see a gathering of Cheyenne and Sioux men intently listening to a man who is an orator among his people. The words of the peace commission have been translated to him and he is expressing his distrust of those words. Terpning wanted the entire focus of the painting to be on the native people, so we see only the corner of a table and the shoes of the commissioner. The scene depicted here is not a specific treaty signing event, but it is loosely patterned after the Fort Laramie treaty of 1868. The title comes from the Indian expression that the treaty always said one thing to the white man and quite another to the native people.
Also available:
- MasterWork Edition – 40 x 33
