Colonel Thomas Loraine McKenney was a Superintendent of Indian Trade under Presidents Madison, Monroe, Adams, and Jackson, and had a keen interest in the customs and beliefs of the Indians he came to know so well. James Hall was a frontier lawyer, judge, newspaper editor and author who helped McKenney put together his portfolio of the Indians. Together they turned the portraits into a coherent representation of Indian life, lore and costume.

A great deal of time and money was spent researching the life and culture of the American Indian for the portfolio. Published in the 1830's, its 3 volumes contain 128 superb lithographs of America's most notable and historical Indian figures. All types of Indians were included in this exceptional and significant work - from the most noble warriors and imposing statesmen to downtrodden tribesmen and exploited chiefs.

McKenney once predicted that the Indian tribes he had come to know would one day vanish - their culture be forgotten; he insisted his gallery was meant for future generations of Americans who might be "curious" how these great men of the plains or the forest looked, dressed and lived. A magnificent achievement, for both its superb artwork and historical scope, the McKenney-Hall works are not only an historical monument but also a marvel to behold.