The Adventure Begins
George Catlin and His Indian Gallery opens today!
George Catlin and His Indian Gallery showcases more than 400 artworks from one of the most important collections at the Smithsonian American Art Museum—George Catlin's original Indian Gallery. Determined to record the "manners and customs" of Native Americans, Catlin, a lawyer turned painter, traveled thousands of miles from 1830 to 1836 following the trail of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Catlin visited fifty tribes living west of the Mississippi River from present day North Dakota to Oklahoma. This exhibition, the most comprehensive display of Catlin's work in more than a century, tells the artist's unique story through the museum's unparalleled collection of paintings. The exhibition includes archival papers and Native American artifacts collected by the artist that have not been shown with the paintings in more than 100 years and details, for the first time, Catlin's relationship with the Smithsonian.
The show is on view at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, located at Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street N.W., across the street from the White House. Please see our program calendar for exciting exhibition-related events. Teachers, be sure to check out our educational website Campfire Stories with George Catlin: An Encounter of Two Cultures. To receive an educational packet or schedule a student tour, phone (202) 633-8550.
Pictured: George Catlin, 1796–1872, Stu-mick-o-súcks, Buffalo Bull's Back Fat, Head Chief, Blood Tribe, 1832, oil, 29 x 24 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
George Catlin and His Indian Gallery opens today!
George Catlin and His Indian Gallery showcases more than 400 artworks from one of the most important collections at the Smithsonian American Art Museum—George Catlin's original Indian Gallery. Determined to record the "manners and customs" of Native Americans, Catlin, a lawyer turned painter, traveled thousands of miles from 1830 to 1836 following the trail of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Catlin visited fifty tribes living west of the Mississippi River from present day North Dakota to Oklahoma. This exhibition, the most comprehensive display of Catlin's work in more than a century, tells the artist's unique story through the museum's unparalleled collection of paintings. The exhibition includes archival papers and Native American artifacts collected by the artist that have not been shown with the paintings in more than 100 years and details, for the first time, Catlin's relationship with the Smithsonian.