Buffalo Chase in Winter, Indians on Snowshoes

George Catlin, Buffalo Chase in Winter, Indians on Snowshoes, 1832-1833, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.416
Copied George Catlin, Buffalo Chase in Winter, Indians on Snowshoes, 1832-1833, oil on canvas, 2429 in. (60.973.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.416
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Buffalo Chase in Winter, Indians on Snowshoes
Date
1832-1833
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2429 in. (60.973.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group — male
  • Western
  • Indian
  • Occupation — hunter
  • Landscape — season — winter
  • Animal — buffalo
Object Number
1985.66.416

Artwork Description

In the summer, plains bison led mounted pursuers on dangerous chases. Winter snows, however, made tracking buffalo safer and easier, slowing the animal’s escape and allowing Indian hunters on snowshoes to move easily over the ground. Catlin traveled in the West in the warmer months and never witnessed such a hunt, but he undoubtedly heard descriptions from both Indians and whites and may have seen the first known representation of it, by the Swiss-Canadian artist Peter Rindisbacher. Catlin painted this work in his studio during the winter of 1832-33.