He was born in
Brooklyn, New York, son of Alfred Charles Kihn and Carrie Lowe (Peck) Kihn. He attended Boys' High School in Brooklyn and was recognized there for his artistic talent. He married Helen Van Tine Butler in 1920, and lived in
Hadlyme and
Moodus,
Connecticut. He studied with the
Art Students League, 1916–17, and was a pupil of
Homer Boss and
Winold Reiss. Motivated by a desire to document the disappearing aboriginal culture, he spent many years visiting and living with Indian tribes in the
Western United States. In 1920, he was admitted to the
Blackfeet tribe in Montana, under the name "Zoi-och-ka-tsai-ya," meaning "Chase Enemy in Water". In 1922, the
New York Times described his work as follows: Mr. Kihn's portraits are marvels of incisive characterization. These closely studied physiognomies show no trace of the sentimental idealization from which most painters of Indian subjects find it almost impossible to escape. Each is firm, clear, and direct, recording the subtle differences of aspect difficult enough to discern in races other than our own, and seizing the essential message of the face with youthful certainty and conviction. Throughout his career, he also illustrated a number of books, including
Indian Days in the Canadian Rockies by
Marius Barbeau (1923) and
Pocahontas and Her World by
Frances Carpenter (1961). Many of his illustrations featured colorful portraits, while children's story books such as
Flat Tail by Alice Gall and Fleming Crew (1935) often featured line drawings. Along with writer
Donald Barr Chidsey, he was a
Democratic candidate for the
Connecticut House of Representatives from the town of
Lyme, in the November 2, 1948 election. He died in Lawrence Memorial Hospital,
New London, Connecticut, after a short illness, and was buried in Cove Cemetery, Hadlyme, Connecticut. ==Collections and exhibitions ==