Angel De Cora
Encyclopedia
Angel De Cora Dietz was a Winnebago
painter, illustrator, Native American rights advocate, and teacher at Carlisle Indian School. She was the best known Native American artist before World War I
.
. She studied specifically illustration at Drexel Institute (now Drexel University
) and also studied at the Cowles Art School in Boston.
art work, Angel De Cora painted firelight to illuminate warm memories of her childhood life on the Nebraska plains after she settled far from home in the east”. Her oil Painting, "for an Indian school exhibit, for the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York" demonstrates the technical prowess and emotional depth of her art.
Unfortunately not much of De Cora's original paintings remain, but she illustrated her own stories published in Harper's Magazine and illustrated books. The 1911 Yellow Star: A Story of East West, by Elaine Goodale Eastman features illustrations by De Cora and her husband, William Henry Dietz
. Her illustrations are rare for her time period because she portrayed Native Americans wearing contemporary clothing.
on 6 February 1919. She is buried at the Bridge Street Cemetery.
Linda M. Waggoner, a relative of De Cora's, wrote a biography about De Cora, Firelight: The Life of Angel De Cora, Winnebago Artist (University of Oklahoma 2008).
Ho-Chunk
The Ho-Chunk, also known as Winnebago, are a tribe of Native Americans, native to what is now Wisconsin and Illinois. There are two federally recognized Ho-Chunk tribes, the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska....
painter, illustrator, Native American rights advocate, and teacher at Carlisle Indian School. She was the best known Native American artist before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Background
Angel De Cora Dietz or Hinook-Mahiwi-Kalinaka (Fleecy Cloud Floating in Place), was born at the Winnebago Agency in Dakota County (now Thurston), Nebraska, on May 3, the daughter of David Tall Decora, a Winnebago of French ancestry. Her mother was a member of the influential LaMere family.Education
De Cora was educated at Burnham Classical School for Girls. She then studied art at Smith CollegeSmith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
. She studied specifically illustration at Drexel Institute (now Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
) and also studied at the Cowles Art School in Boston.
Career
Angel was played an important role in the turn-of-the-century, since she exhibited her art to both Native and non-Native audiences. She understanding being Indian, had personally experienced historical trauma of being assimilated, and had witnessed genocide. She understood ancestral historical trauma through the tearing apart of Winnebago families, culture, and land. Still she maintained a strong resilience in life to overcome and flourish. She successfully adapted to Euro-American culture.Artwork
In her tonalistTonalism
Tonalism was an artistic style that emerged in the 1880s when American artists began to paint landscape forms with an overall tone of colored atmosphere or mist. Between 1880 and 1915, dark, neutral hues such as gray, brown or blue, often dominated compositions by artists associated with the style...
art work, Angel De Cora painted firelight to illuminate warm memories of her childhood life on the Nebraska plains after she settled far from home in the east”. Her oil Painting, "for an Indian school exhibit, for the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York" demonstrates the technical prowess and emotional depth of her art.
Unfortunately not much of De Cora's original paintings remain, but she illustrated her own stories published in Harper's Magazine and illustrated books. The 1911 Yellow Star: A Story of East West, by Elaine Goodale Eastman features illustrations by De Cora and her husband, William Henry Dietz
William Henry Dietz
William Henry "Lone Star" Dietz was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Washington State University , Purdue University , Louisiana Tech University , University of Wyoming , and Albright College compiling a career college football record of 70–47–6...
. Her illustrations are rare for her time period because she portrayed Native Americans wearing contemporary clothing.
Death
Angel De Cora contracted pneumonia, and she died in the Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, MassachusettsNorthampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
on 6 February 1919. She is buried at the Bridge Street Cemetery.
Linda M. Waggoner, a relative of De Cora's, wrote a biography about De Cora, Firelight: The Life of Angel De Cora, Winnebago Artist (University of Oklahoma 2008).