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Elizabeth Davey Lochrie (American, 1890-1981). "Nothing to Brag About" oil on canvas, 1966. Signed and dated at upper right. Titled on verso. A boy stands at the threshold between childhood and self awareness, holding up his small catch as if weighing its worth against the world's expectations. In "Nothing to Brag About," Lochrie captures seven year old "Buck" Big Shoulder of the Flathead Indians, also known as the Bitterroot Salish peoples, in a moment that feels both personal and universal - the quiet calculus of pride, effort, and understatement. The composition is spare and direct. Buck faces forward, fishing pole rising along one side like a slender staff, the line barely visible against the pale ground. His overalls hang loosely from his shoulders, their cool blue tones offsetting the warmth of his skin. The soft cap, slightly oversized, casts a faint shadow across his brow. Size of painting: 15.5" W x 19.5" H (39.4 cm x 49.5 cm); of frame: 19" W x 23" H (48.3 cm x 58.4 cm) In his hand, the small fish becomes the focal point of the narrative. It is not a trophy. It is evidence - of patience, of participation, of learning. Lochrie's modeling is careful and deliberate. She builds the boy's features with gentle transitions of light, giving weight to his cheekbones and depth to his dark, searching eyes. The background remains understated, a muted field that keeps all attention on the sitter. There is no theatrical staging, no embellishment. Instead, the painting rests on the individuality of the child himself. Throughout her career, Lochrie was known for portraying Native subjects with attentiveness to character rather than stereotype. In this 1966 work, that commitment is evident in the specificity of Buck's presence. He is not presented as a symbol, but as a child in a particular place and time, engaged in an ordinary act that carries quiet significance. The humor of the title in "Nothing to Brag About" tempers the scene, suggesting humility, while the portrait itself preserves something more lasting - a young life observed with respect and care. About the artist: Elizabeth Davey Lochrie, born on July 1, 1890 in Deer Lodge, Montana, came to be known as the Daughter of Montana, a title earned through devotion rather than sentiment. Over the course of a career that spanned more than half a century, she emerged as one of the state's most distinguished twentieth century women artists, remembered above all for her profound and humane portrayals of Native American life. Raised in the Deer Lodge Valley, Lochrie grew up among Blackfeet and Cree families who were friends and neighbors. Her father, an engineer, employed Cree craftsmen to build furniture for their home, and from an early age she absorbed both the visual richness and cultural presence of the region's Indigenous communities. A spirited child who preferred baseball and horseback riding to decorum, she loved drawing above all else. That early passion led her to the Pratt Institute in New York, where she studied art and graduated in 1911. She later studied with artists including Winold Reiss and Victor Arnautoff and continued her training at Stanford University, strengthening both her technical skill and her intellectual engagement with American subjects. After returning to Montana in 1911, she married banker Arthur Lochrie in 1915 and settled in Butte, where they raised three children. Though family life occupied much of the next decade and a half, she never abandoned her art. She taught local children, drew newspaper cartoons, and accepted commissions for murals in public buildings. By the early 1930s, as her children grew older, she resumed formal study under fresco painters, preparing for the large scale public projects that would define part of her mature career. Lochrie's name is most closely associated with her portraits of Native Americans, particularly members of the Blackfeet Nation. In 1931 she first traveled to Glacier National Park, where she and her husband befriended George and Gypsy Bull Child. For three consecutive summers she lived in the park, studying portraiture and immersing herself in Blackfeet culture. She learned to speak Blackfeet and several other dialects and used Plains Indian sign language. In 1932, in recognition of her deep respect and involvement, the Blackfeet Nation formally adopted her and gave her the name Netchitaki, meaning Woman Alone in Her Way. Her commitment extended beyond the canvas. At a time when United States government policies such as the Dawes Act of 1887 promoted land loss, forced assimilation, and the erosion of Native cultural identity, Lochrie's paintings insisted on dignity and individuality. She portrayed elders with the psychological depth one might associate with Rembrandt, finding in weathered faces not stereotype but character and memory. Works such as her portraits of Chief Washakie and Mrs. Maggie Morning Gun reveal careful modeling and an unflinching attention to the patina of lived experience. During the Great Depression, Lochrie participated in federal arts programs designed to provide employment for artists. Through the Works Progress Administration and the Treasury Section of Fine Arts, she completed several post office murals in Idaho and Montana, including The Fur Traders of 1939 in St. Anthony, Idaho, and News from the States in Dillon, Montana. The Fur Traders depicts the 1810 establishment of a trading post and the first encounters between Europeans and Native peoples near the site of the present post office. In her rendering, goods and culture flow in both directions. Scholars have suggested that a checkerboard quilt at the top of a stack of blankets may allude to Lochrie herself, who was known to create quilts for her Native friends. A preparatory oil study for the mural is held in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Beyond painting, Lochrie lectured widely on Native American culture, delivering dozens of talks each year across the United States. She often donated her lecture fees to the Blackfeet Nation or accepted compensation in supplies useful to the community. Her advocacy and scholarship complemented her artistic practice, reinforcing her reputation as more than an observer. Lochrie continued to paint until her death on May 17, 1981. Her work was exhibited in New York as well as throughout Montana, and today it resides in major collections including the Hockaday Museum of Art, the Montana Historical Society, and the Holter Museum of Art. Additional works can be seen at the Charles Clark Art Chateau in Butte and in museums across the country. Artist, muralist, lecturer, and adopted member of the Blackfeet Nation, Elizabeth Lochrie built a body of work that stands as both record and tribute. In a century marked by cultural upheaval and erasure, she chose to paint presence, humanity, and enduring identity. Provenance: private Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, USA collection All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. Please note that buyers are responsible for understanding and complying with the import regulations of their destination country. 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