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Petalesharro Portrait

Petalesharro Portrait

Credit
White House Historical Association (White House Collection)

Petalesharro Portrait

Creator: Charles Bird King, 1822.

Petalesharro, one of the Native American delegates who traveled to the White House in 1822, gained heroic status in the capital after a publication circulated around the city describing his daring rescue of a Comanche woman from being burned at the stake by his own tribe. The tale inspired a group of ladies to give him a medal for his bravery. He is portrayed here wearing a Monroe peace medal, trade bead necklaces, and a warbonnet tipped with eagle feathers.

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