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George Catlin prints show the peoples and lands of the American West in the 1830s. Catlin made five journeys up the Missouri and across the plains, painting chiefs, warriors, women and children, villages, games, ceremonies and buffalo hunts among about fifty tribal nations. His Indian Gallery is now at the Smithsonian. Our collection of fine art prints includes his portraits, buffalo and wildlife scenes and river landscapes.

About George Catlin

George Catlin was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on 26 July 1796. He trained as a lawyer before turning to art and worked as a portrait painter in Philadelphia and the East in the 1820s.

Between 1830 and 1836 he made five journeys west from St. Louis. In 1832 he rode the American Fur Company steamboat Yellow Stone about 2,000 miles up the Missouri to Fort Union, painting the Mandan leader Four Bears and the Mandan O-kee-pa ceremony on the way.

Catlin toured his Indian Gallery through American cities and then Europe, where he spent many years showing his work and writing books. After travels in South America he painted a second set of pictures, his "Cartoon Collection". He died on 23 December 1872. His original Indian Gallery was given to the Smithsonian in 1879, and much of the Cartoon Collection is at the National Gallery of Art.

Style and Subjects

Catlin painted fast, often in the field, and his portraits focus on the face, dress and ornaments of each sitter: feathered headdresses, painted robes, beadwork, quillwork and weapons. Backgrounds are often plain, so the figure stands out strongly.

His scenes of village life, games and buffalo hunts are livelier and looser, with wide prairies, big skies and figures in motion. His landscapes of the Missouri and upper Mississippi show bluffs, rivers and forts in soft greens and golds.

Famous Works

• Mah-to-toh-pa, Four Bears, Second Chief, in Full Dress (1832), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. The Mandan leader in his eagle-feather headdress, Catlin's best-known portrait.
• Mi-neek-ee-sunk-te-ka, Mink, a Beautiful Girl (1832), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. A young Mandan woman painted on the 1832 journey.
• Ha-wón-je-tah, One Horn, Head Chief of the Miniconjou Tribe (1832), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. A Miniconjou Lakota leader in a full-length portrait.
• Ball-Play of the Choctaw: Ball Down (1834–1835), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. Hundreds of players crowd around the ball in a Choctaw stickball game.
• Buffalo Bull, Grazing on the Prairie (1830s), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington. A lone bull on the open plains.
• Bull Dance, Mandan O-kee-pa Ceremony (1832). Part of the Mandan ceremony Catlin witnessed.
• Fort Union, Mouth of the Yellowstone River, 2000 Miles above St. Louis (1832). The trading post at the end of his 1832 steamboat journey.
• Indian Family Alarmed at the Approach of a Prairie Fire. A family flees as fire sweeps the grass.

Decorating with Catlin Prints

Catlin's landscapes and buffalo scenes suit a study, den, lodge-style living room or a home with Western decor. Warm wood frames bring out the golds and greens of the prairie, and a wide river view works well above a sofa or fireplace.

His portraits are strong single images for a hallway or library. Hang them with care and context: these are portraits of real people and nations, and a small label with each sitter's name and nation makes a thoughtful display.

FAQ

Who was George Catlin?

George Catlin (1796–1872) was an American painter, writer and showman who travelled west in the 1830s to paint Native American peoples, visiting about fifty tribal nations.

What is George Catlin's most famous painting?

His portrait of the Mandan leader Four Bears (Mah-to-toh-pa) in full dress, painted in 1832, is his best-known work.

Where can I see Catlin's paintings?

The Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington holds his original Indian Gallery, given in 1879. The National Gallery of Art holds much of his later Cartoon Collection.

What was the Indian Gallery?

Catlin's touring exhibition of hundreds of paintings and objects from his western journeys, shown in American cities and in Europe.

How far west did Catlin travel?

In 1832 he travelled about 2,000 miles up the Missouri River by steamboat to Fort Union, at the mouth of the Yellowstone.

Related Artists

• Karl Bodmer: Swiss artist who painted the upper Missouri peoples soon after Catlin
• Charles Bird King: painter of Native American delegates in Washington
• Alfred Jacob Miller: painter of the fur trade and the West in the 1830s
• Seth Eastman: soldier-artist who painted Native American life