Little Bear, Steep Wind, The Dog; Three Distinguished Warriors of the Sioux Tribe

George Catlin, Little Bear, Steep Wind, The Dog; Three Distinguished Warriors of the Sioux Tribe, ca. 1865-1871, oil on paperboard, 18 ³⁄₄ x 24 ⁷⁄₈ in. (47.7 x 63.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.362,054

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Artwork Details

Title: Little Bear, Steep Wind, The Dog; Three Distinguished Warriors of the Sioux Tribe
Artist: George Catlin
Date: ca. 1865-1871
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 18 ³⁄₄ x 24 ⁷⁄₈ in. (47.7 x 63.3 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on paperboard
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Indian — Sioux
Indian — Dakota
Portrait male — Dog
Portrait male — Steep Wind
Portrait male — Little Bear
Object Number: 1985.66.362,054
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.362,054

Artwork Description

After traveling and painting in South America, George Catlin settled in Brussels in 1860, where he re-created many of the works from his Indian Gallery. He called his second collection “cartoons” because he created the images from pencil outlines drawn on cardboard. In this composition, he combined three individual portraits from the Indian Gallery into a group portrait. “I painted the portrait of a celebrated warrior of the Sioux,” Catlin wrote, “by the name of Mah-to-chee-ga (the little bear), who was unfortunately slain in a few moments after the picture was done, by one of his own tribe . . . The man who slew this noble warrior was a troublesome fellow of the same tribe, by the name of Shon-ka (the dog).” (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 32, 1841; reprint 1973)