George Winter (1810 – 1876)

George Winter came to Logansport from England because it was the heart of “Indian Country,” and the ideal place to document the “noble savages” before civilization destroyed them. This painting, completed in 1853, is similar to works done at the village of Kee-waw-ney in 1837. Many artists of the mid-1800s showed comparable interest in Indian gambling and playfulness. Other examples are "Winnebago’s Playing Checkers" (1842) by Charles Deas and "Indian Women Playing the Game of Plum Stone" (1848) by Seth Eastman. Although most depictions are sympathetic to the Indians, European criticism of the natives’ lack of the (Protestant) work ethic may have been a catalyst for the subject matter.