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George Catlin

George Catlin. (1796-1872) "If my life be spared, nothing shall stop me from visiting every nation of Indians on the Continent of North America." . George Catlin 1849 , William Fiske, oil, 50 x 40 in. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

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George Catlin

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  1. George Catlin (1796-1872) "If my life be spared, nothing shall stop me from visiting every nation of Indians on the Continent of North America."

  2. George Catlin 1849, William Fiske, oil, 50 x 40 in.National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution • Catlin was a self-taught, successful portrait painter with a business in Philadelphia whenin 1828, he met a group from the Winnabago Tribe on their way to Washington. • He devoted the rest of his life to creating a visual record of the native cultures of the American frontier.

  3. General William Clark, 1830, oilNational Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, • Catlin was just seven years old in 1803 when Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark on a three-year expedition to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase. • In 1830, Catlin visited Clark in St. Louis to learn from him all he could of the western lands Catlin hoped to see for himself.

  4. St. Louis from the River Below , 1832-1833, oil, 19 3/8 x 26 7/8 in.

  5. George Catlin, Prairie Meadows Burning, 1832, oil on canvas, 11 x 14 1/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum

  6. La-dóo-ke-a, Buffalo Bull, a Grand Pawnee Warrior, 1832, oil, 29 x 24 in.Smithsonian American Art Museum • This unfinished portrait shows Catlin’s painting method when working in the frontier. • He usually focused on the subject’s face while on location, and finished the rest later in his studio. • Why was it important for him to paint quickly? • Why do you think he finished the face first?

  7. Buffalo Hunt under the Wolf-skin Mask, 1832–33, oil, 24 x 29 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum

  8. Ball-play of the Choctaw—Ball up,1846–50, oil, 25 3/4 x 32 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum

  9. Máh-to-tóh-pa, Four Bears, Second Chief, in Full Dress, 1832, 29 x 24 in.Smithsonian American Art Museum • In his Notes, the artist writes that Mah-to-toh-pa spent all morning dressing for his likeness. • He brought with him a buffalo-skin robe that he had painted with the history of his battles. • In addition to the war club seen here, he carried bow and arrows, a lance, a shield, a tomahawk, and a scalping knife, and wore a magnificent bear claw necklace.

  10. Comanche Meeting the Dragoons, 1834–35, Comanche/Niuam, oil, 24 x 29 in.Smithsonian American Art Museum

  11. Comanche Feats of Horsemanship, 1834–35, oil, 24 x 29 in.Smithsonian American Art Museum

  12. Buffalo Lancing in the Snow Drifts—Sioux (detail), 1861/1869, National Gallery of Art, Paul Mellon Collection

  13. Jú-ah-kís-gaw, Woman with Her Child in a Cradle, 1835, Ojibwe/Chippewaoil, 29 x 24 in.Smithsonian American Art Museum • In 1835, Catlin and his wife Clara visited the tribes of the Upper Mississippi and Great Lakes region. • Because of the influence of European traders and settlers, these tribes had incorporated woven cloth and elaborate beadwork into their dress. • Catlin painted relatively few portraits of women and children. Why?

  14. Iowa Indians Who Visited London and Paris, 1861/1869, National Gallery of Art, Paul Mellon Collection

  15. The White Cloud, Head Chief of the Iowas, 1844/1845, National Gallery of Art, Paul Mellon Collection • You can tell from this portrait of White Cloud that Catlin admired the Indian people. • How does the artist express the dignity and pride of this individual in his painting? • Native Americans often had descriptive names that told others about them. What do you think “The White Cloud” means?

  16. Shon-ta-yi-ga, Little Wolf,a Famous Warrior, 1844, Iowa, oil, 29 x 24 in.Smithsonian American Art Museum • Catlin was honored by being invited to show his work in the Louvre and in the Paris Salon. • The most important critic of the day praised him for capturing “the proud, free character and noble expression of these splendid fellows in a masterly way.”

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