Thomas McKenney and James Hall

History of the Indian Tribes of North America
Thomas McKenney and James Hall, 1836-1844
McKENNEY, Thomas L. (1785-1859) and James HALL (1793-1868). History of the Indian Tribes of North America. Philadelphia: Edward C. Biddle, 1836; Frederick W. Greenough, 1838; Daniel Rice and James G. Clark, 1844.
First edition of "the grandest color plate book issued in the United States up to the time of its publication" (Stamped with a National Character); the first states of all three title pages, naming three different publishers in Philadelphia for each of the three volumes. This work's "long and checkered publication history spanned twelve years and involved multiple lithographers (mainly Peter S. Duval and James T. Bowen) and publishers, but the final product is one of the most distinctive and important books in Americana. Almost all the plates are portraits of individual Native Americans, the majority painted from life by Charles Bird King (who also reworked the less skillful portraits of James Otto Lewis). The complicated circumstances of its production have left a bibliographical stew of issues and issue points that are yet to be satisfactorily resolved" (ibid.). This copy has a state of "War Dance" unrecorded by BAL (with "Childs & Lehman" imprint) and state "C" of Red Jacket (no priority); also the "War Dance" text is the second printing of three.
McKenney was Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the 1820s and as such received Native delegates to Washington. He began the practice of inviting them to sit for portraits by Charles Bird King and share their biographical details as early as 1824. About 90 individual biographies, of various lengths and degrees of detail, accompany the portraits in the first two volumes. The original oil paintings were destroyed in the 1865 Smithsonian fire.
In his official capacity, McKenney advocated Indian removal to west of the Mississippi and his portraits make frequent reference to the desirability of missionary and "civilizing" efforts. Nevertheless, the respect he felt for the men and women he met as individuals is clearly genuine. In 1830, he formally denounced the U.S. government for its failure to uphold the terms of its treaties with the Cherokee Nation and he was fired by Andrew Jackson that year. BAL 6934; Bennett p. 79; Best of the West 68; Bobins 58; Howes M-129; Stamped with a National Character 24.
Three volumes, folio (516 x 360mm). 120 hand-colored lithographed plates, map sheet, and 17-page lithographed subscriber's list present (vol. 1 with a dampstain to first 10 leaves, intermittent foxing almost all to text and margins but including to Sequoyah plate and to vol. 2 frontispiece, some tissue guards lacking, some pale offsetting from text and toning to plate heavier on about 4 plates, marginal tear from last leaf of subscribers list). 19th-century half morocco over pebbled cloth (spines darkened and with chips to ends, vol. 3 upper cover started).