Comanche War Party on the March, Fully Equipped

George Catlin, Comanche War Party on the March, Fully Equipped, 1846-1848, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.596
Copied George Catlin, Comanche War Party on the March, Fully Equipped, 1846-1848, oil on canvas, 20 x 27 3⁄8 in. (50.8 x 69.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.596
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Comanche War Party on the March, Fully Equipped
Artist
Date
1846-1848
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
20 x 27 3⁄8 in. (50.8 x 69.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • State of being — evil — war
  • Indian — Comanche
  • Animal — horse
  • Figure group — male
Object Number
1985.66.596
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.596

Artwork Description

George Catlin’s descriptions of Native Americans reveal his respect for the tribes and nations that he feared would soon vanish. “Every one of these red sons of the forest (or rather of the prairie) is a knight and lord,” he wrote, the only things which he deems worthy of his exertions are to mount his snorting steed, with his bow and quiver slung, his arrow-shield upon his arm, and his long lance glistening in the war-parade . . .” (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 1, no. 4, 1841, reprint 1973; Truettner, The Natural Man Observed, 1979)