Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Flute Player
Edwin Willard Deming, born Ashland, OH 1860-died New York City 1942 · n.d.
Edwin Willard Deming grew up among the Winnebago Indians and devoted his career to picturing Native Americans as peaceful and noble figures. This scene shows the mythical “Indian Orpheus” charming wild animals with the sound of his flute. The brightly colored leaves blanketing the ground and the wide eyes of the animals create a magical kingdom far from the nation’s urban centers. With the onset of industrialization, imaginary, romantic views of Native American life were widely collected by comfortable, middle-class Americans.
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