O‑rón-gás-see, Bear-catcher, a Celebrated Warrior

George Catlin, O-rón-gás-see, Bear-catcher, a Celebrated Warrior, 1832, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.26
Copied George Catlin, O-rón-gás-see, Bear-catcher, a Celebrated Warrior, 1832, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.26
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Artwork Details

Title
O‑rón-gás-see, Bear-catcher, a Celebrated Warrior
Artist
Date
1832
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — Bear Catcher
  • Indian — Kansas
Object Number
1985.66.26
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.26

Artwork Description

George Catlin probably painted this image of Bear-catcher, a warrior of the Kansas/Kaw tribe, at Fort Leavenworth (in today’s Kansas) in 1832. Catlin later described the warrior as having “hair . . . cut as close to the head as possible, except a tuft the size of the palm of the hand, on the crown of the head, which is left of two inches in length: and in the centre of which is fastened a beautiful crest made of the hair of the deer's tail (dyed red) and horsehair, and oftentimes surmounted with the war-eagle's quill.” (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 34, 1841; reprint 1973)