Upon first glance, your eyes are immediately drawn to the texture of this piece. The fringe cascading down the sleeve creates a lofty sensation, while the abundance of said fringe simultaneously creates a sense of weight in the arm. The feathers found throughout the piece seem to lack this airy quality, but the ombré from the white base to a black tip does spark visual interest.
Judging by the powerful stance that Mato Tope is depicted striking, its reasonable to say the artist responsible for creating this did so with a great amount of respect. That being said, this appears to be painted in an extremely westernized style. Perhaps this was done by an American painter. Ironically enough, this piece looks vaguely similar to that of the 1836 Hans Holbein portrait of Henry Viii. Both depict the men in extremely similar poses, one that suggests strength, power, and possible royalty.
After further research on the piece, it was discovered that this was painted by an American artist. His Name was George Catlin, and he specialized in Native American portraits and paintings of the Old West. His initial attraction to the fashion of Natives encouraged his portraits, all of which depict individuals in heavily detailed garments like Mato Tope's.
An interesting element to touch on about his work is that it seems to be respectfully accurate. What is meant by this is that is his figures are posed and oriented in the piece in a very strong and important manner. His accuracy in the depiction of the location on the other hand often received flack. It was questioned whether or not the locations were as extravagant as he claimed, and if he was even as welcomed as he said. It is also important to note that he claimed to be the first white man to ever capture certain tribes chiefs in a portrait, but historians are skeptical.
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