stretched ears Rising Fawn

Half Scottish Half Tribal Cherokee; The legend known as 'Rising Fawn'

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As part of our sporadic 'notable people in history with stretched ears' series, we proudly present Major George Lowrey, also known as 'Rising Fawn', who lived in America (1770-1852) 

His father came from Scotland and his mother was the daughter and granddaughter of Tribal Echota Cherokee chiefs. He was eventually 'Assistant Principal Chief of the Tribal Cherokee Nation' and he was half Scottish! He seems to have led a very full life, he was a banker, a soldier, a law enforcement officer, a planter, cattle and horse breeder, and political leader and he had massively stretched ears.

Closer examination of the picture raises questions about what was actually going on with his ears. They were definitely stretched as contemporary reports say but the picture seems to show a stretch coming from the top of the lobe! It is possible that his lobes were so stretched that he looped them over the top of his ear but it seems unlikely. We wonder if the artist, probably not being acquainted with stretched lobes maybe took a sketch and then painted it incorrectly later? It's impossible to know 

In this picture George is wearing a turban and a saltire sash and a medal he received from the President of the United States. He has a silver septum ring and silver ear weights of a Sephardi Jewish design. What a simply magnificent mash up of style and culture!

George Catlin, who painted this picture was the first American artist to create a comprehensive record of Native American tribes of the trans-Mississippi West. He not only painted all aspects of their lives, he kept a detailed journal documenting the culture of each tribe and frequently provided biographies of those he painted.
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silver hinged ear weight on a reflective green background

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Tribal Earrings

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