For the political scientist and father of Shirley Williams, see George Catlin (political scientist).
George Catlin painting a chief, at the base of the Rocky Mountains, 1841
The White Cloud, Head Chief of the Iowas
George Catlin (July 26, 1796–December 23, 1872) was an American painter who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the Old West. He was also an author.
|
Contents
- 1 Life and works
- 2 Family
- 3 Fiction
- 4 Sources
- 5 See also
- 6 External links
|
Life and works
Catlin was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the fifth of 14 children. Both his mother and grandmother had been captives of Indians. In 1830 he traveled west, leaving a law career to paint Native Americans and "to rescue from oblivion their primitive looks and customs." Self-taught as a painter, he depicted Indians he met in St. Louis or on excursions into Indian country, sketching and painting some 600 Indian portraits, scenes of native life and landscapes. He also documented his paintings with notes on customs of the approximately 48 tribes he contacted.
Catlin formed some of the earliest Wild West Shows in order to highlight the plight of the Native Americans and show their culture. He travelled the United States east coast and Europe with his shows, showing his paintings, the so-called Catlin Cartoon Collection. Bankrupt by 1852, he sold his works to a private collector, Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr. whose heirs later donated them to the Smithsonian. After the bankruptcy, Catlin travelled widely in the American West and in South America.
His works are the only known portrayals of some western tribes, including the bulk of those of the Mandan tribe, which he believed was descended from the Welsh. Catlin died in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1872.
Another notable achievement of George Catlin is his proposal of the National Park to preserve various species of animals. He was one of the few people of his time to recognize the threat that settlers were imposing towards not only western Indian tribes, but also the animal species that inhabited the area. He saw the need for the preservation of these animals that were vital to many Indian and settlements' survival and thus, proposed the National Park.
Family
Many historians and descendants believe George Catlin had two families; his acknowledged family on the east coast of the United States, but also a family farther west, started with a Native American woman.
Two other master artists of the Old West related to George Catlin by family bloodlines are Frederic Remington and Earl W. Bascom.
Fiction
Larry McMurtry includes Catlin as a character in his The Berrybender Narratives series of novels.
Sources
- Vaughn, William (2000). Encyclopedia of Artists. Oxford University Press, Inc. ISBN 0-19-521572-9.
