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Lot Essay
The mixed blood son of a Cherokee father and Scottish mother, Norton was born in Scotland around 1770. He joined the army and was stationed in Lower Canada in 1785 but deserted at Niagara in Upper Canada in 1787. He taught Iroquois at the Bay of Quinte, an Iroquois village west of Kingston, Ontario and traded through the Ohio region before becoming involved with the Six Nations of the Grand River at Lake Erie. He travelled to England in 1804 to negotiate treaties and was requested to translate the Gospel of John into Mohawk by the British and Foreign Bible Society. Norton was especially inspired by the Mohawk chief, Thayendanega (Joseph Brant). Norton acquired Mohawk language and culture, and was adopted into the community as Thayendanega's nephew. He acquired the status of chief from his adopted uncle and was given the name "Teyoninhokarawen", which is Mohawk for "open door." He led Six Nations warriors into battle in Tecumseh's offensive against the Americans at Tippecanoe. He remained an Anglican and maintained his British connections in Canada and was viewed as a useful ally by the British administration. With British commanders, he jointly led the successful offensive against American forces at Queenston Heights (for his part in the victory Norton was given the "Rank of Captain of the Confederate Indians", and went on to lead Iroquois contingents into battles throughout the War of 1812. At Chippawa, the Grand River Iroquois fought their New York cousins in a bloody confrontation. After this tragic event the Six Nations of the Iroquois decided to withdraw from the war altogether.
Norton's thorough account of the war and of life amongst the Cherokee was published in 1816 (Journal of Major John Norton). He travelled to Scotland with his wife and son after the war, but eventually returned to Grand River.
Mather Brown left his native Boston for Europe in 1780. 'He carried with him letters of introduction to Benjamin Franklin and John Singleton Copley provided by his grandfather. He traveled first to Paris, where he stayed with Franklin, at that time the chief American representative to the French court. Brown then moved on to England and, equipped with a letter of introduction from Franklin, sought out the American painter Benjamin West. Together with Gilbert Stuart, John Trumbull, and William Dunlap, Brown was among the "second generation" of West's students. Thanks to Franklin's letter of introduction, West took on his new pupil free of charge. West's interest in Brown helped the young artist to achieve early recognition in England.' (DNB Brown enjoyed distinguished patronage through the 1780s, painting royalty, aristocrats, and American notables. He exhibited 80 pictures at the Royal Academy, but was denied membership of the Academy three times. His fortunes were on the wane in the late 1790s and he left London in 1808 to teach and work in the provinces. The present portrait presumably dates to Norton's visit to England in 1804 or following the War of 1812.
Norton's thorough account of the war and of life amongst the Cherokee was published in 1816 (Journal of Major John Norton). He travelled to Scotland with his wife and son after the war, but eventually returned to Grand River.
Mather Brown left his native Boston for Europe in 1780. 'He carried with him letters of introduction to Benjamin Franklin and John Singleton Copley provided by his grandfather. He traveled first to Paris, where he stayed with Franklin, at that time the chief American representative to the French court. Brown then moved on to England and, equipped with a letter of introduction from Franklin, sought out the American painter Benjamin West. Together with Gilbert Stuart, John Trumbull, and William Dunlap, Brown was among the "second generation" of West's students. Thanks to Franklin's letter of introduction, West took on his new pupil free of charge. West's interest in Brown helped the young artist to achieve early recognition in England.' (DNB Brown enjoyed distinguished patronage through the 1780s, painting royalty, aristocrats, and American notables. He exhibited 80 pictures at the Royal Academy, but was denied membership of the Academy three times. His fortunes were on the wane in the late 1790s and he left London in 1808 to teach and work in the provinces. The present portrait presumably dates to Norton's visit to England in 1804 or following the War of 1812.