At the time of Bodmer's visit to New Orleans, the Choctaws had only recently signed treaties with the government agreeing to exchange ancestral holdings east of the Mississippi for land north of the Red River in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. Not all tribesmen affected by these provisions chose to migrate westward, and scattered groups remained behind to eke out an uncertain existence in the settlements along the Mississippi. Such a one was Tshanny, a Choctaw painted by Bodmer at New Orleans. The watercolor is dated January 18.

Dated between January 12 and 18, Bodmer's Indian studies at New Orleans represent members of the Choctaw nation, which once had inhabited large areas of the state of Mississippi and parts of Alabama before being removed to the West by the U.S. government. Depicting a dispirited people in reduced circumstances, these portraits made on the lower Mississippi are a startling contrast to the studies later made among the tribes of the upper Missouri, who at that time still retained much of their traditional culture.

Dated between January 12 and 18, Bodmer's Indian studies at New Orleans represent members of the Choctaw nation, which once had inhabited large areas of the state of Mississippi and parts of Alabama before being removed to the West by the U.S. government.

On his arrival in New Orleans, Bodmer was met by Joseph Barrabino, an Italian pharmacist and friend of Lesueur's, who offered the artist temporary accommodations at his home in the city. This was located near a principal market, where Bodmer had the opportunity to observe the first Indians he had seen since coming to North America. These he later described to Maximilian as "living in a sadly inactive condition." His portrait of a Choctaw man identified as "Billie" is dated at New Orleans on January 12.