Dakota Mother Fondling a Papoose

Cradleboards were an object of interest for artists traveling in the West, and are depicted in the work of George Catlin and Paul Kane, as well as in more than twenty images by Miller. Created to protect the infant and to ease transportation, cradleboards were composed of wood with a footrest and head protection and included decorations across the top both to embellish the cradleboard and to entertain the infant. Miller noted, with some condescension, that “If any one thing gives an Indian women pleasure, above another, it must be the elaboration of this affair.”

Although infants in cradleboards often make up background elements in Miller’s paintings, here the infant is placed at the center of the image, the object of its mother’s attention. The mother gazes at her child with evident pride, turning the cradleboard as if to present him or her to the viewer.

Stylistically, this small watercolor resembles Miller’s paintings for William T. Walters. The figures and the landscape are elaborately rendered with layers of glazes and gouache, visible in the woman’s hair and clothing. It is not a direct compositional study for the Walters version, however, as it lacks the second child present in the version at the Beinecke Library as well as the temporary shelter and the drying meat depicted in the final watercolor.

Lisa Strong