John Hauser (American, 1859–1913)

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, John Hauser began his artistic training at the Ohio Mechanics’ Institute and continued at the Cincinnati Art Academy and McMicken School of Design, where he studied with Thomas Satterwhite Noble. In 1880, he traveled to Munich to study at the Royal Academy under Nikolaos Gyzis and later continued his studies in Düsseldorf and Paris before returning to Cincinnati.

In 1880, Hauser married Minnie Boltz, an art teacher in the Cincinnati public schools. Beginning in the 1890s, Hauser traveled extensively throughout the American West, particularly in Arizona, New Mexico, and the Great Plains, producing detailed paintings and drawings of Indigenous people and communities. Best known for his portraiture, he painted a number of prominent Native American leaders, including Red Cloud, American Horse, Spotted Tail, High Horse, and Iron Tail. Hauser developed particularly close ties with members of the Lakota Sioux, and in 1901 he and his wife were formally adopted in a ceremony in which he was given the name “Straight White Shield” and his wife the name “Princess Sweet.”

Hauser continued traveling and painting in the West for much of his career while maintaining his home in Clifton, Cincinnati. He was a member of the Cincinnati Art Club, Münchner Künstler Club, and Münchner Kunstverein. His work is represented in major collections of Western American art, including the Smithsonian Institution and Gilcrease Museum.

Member

Cincinnati AC; Munchner Kunstler Club; Munchner Kunstverein

Work

Smithsonian; Gilcrease Inst.

Resources

P&H Samuels, 213