Mrs. George Catlin (Clara Bartlett Gregory)

George Catlin, Mrs. George Catlin (Clara Bartlett Gregory), ca. 1828, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1948.4.1
Copied George Catlin, Mrs. George Catlin (Clara Bartlett Gregory), ca. 1828, watercolor on ivory, sight 2 1⁄2 x 2 in. (6.4 x 5.2 cm) rectangle, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1948.4.1
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Mrs. George Catlin (Clara Bartlett Gregory)
Artist
Date
ca. 1828
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sight 2 1⁄2 x 2 in. (6.4 x 5.2 cm) rectangle
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — Catlin, Clara Bartlet — bust
  • Portrait female — Catlin, George, Mrs. — bust
Object Number
1948.4.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1948.4.1

Artwork Description

Clara Bartlett Gregory (1807-1845) met and married George Catlin in her hometown of Albany, New York, while he was there to paint Governor De Witt Clinton. It is likely that this miniature was painted during their courtship or just after their marriage in 1828. Despite her frail health, she accompanied her husband on one of his five journeys west and supported his efforts to capture the likenesses of Native Americans. She and their youngest son died while visiting Paris in 1845, a loss that devastated the artist.