[1] He attempted, and failed, to obtain an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

[2] As a young man, he studied under John Sanderson in Philadelphia, and subsequently embarked upon a career as a painter.

[2] During this time, Deas would typically spend "a few months among the Indian tribes, familiarizing himself with their manners and customs.

[7] Deas returned to New York in 1848 and expressed a desire to open a gallery of Indian art.

"One of his wild pictures, representing a black sea, over which a figure hung, suspended from a ring, while from the waves a monster was springing, was so horrible, that a sensitive artist fainted at the sight.