Edward KemeysAmerican, 1843–1907Prairie Chicken
Can I see it?
Unknown
Where is “Prairie Chicken” now? Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. Unknown.
Washington, D.C., United States
The owner is known; whether it is on view today is not.
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
In the 1860s and 1870s, prairie chicken leks, or breeding grounds, were a common sight across the Midwest. As more settlers moved westward, however, farmers converted tall-grass prairie to cropland. Edward Kemeys's sculpting career began just before prairie chicken populations shrank from habitat loss. Here he preserves and celebrates the male of the species by accurately depicting the bird's form, paying particular attention to the characteristic eyebrow texture and long pointed neck feathers, called pinnae. Kemeys also took care when modeling the bird's posture. The angled pinnae show this male poised for display or attack.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Details
- Accession number
- 2002.78
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Image: Smithsonian American Art Museum — CC0
