Tcha-tó-ga, Mad Buffalo, Murderer of Two White Men

George Catlin, Tcha-tó-ga, Mad Buffalo, Murderer of Two White Men, 1834, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.41
Copied George Catlin, Tcha-tó-ga, Mad Buffalo, Murderer of Two White Men, 1834, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.41
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Artwork Details

Title
Tcha-tó-ga, Mad Buffalo, Murderer of Two White Men
Artist
Date
1834
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
  • Indian — Osage
  • Portrait male — Mad Buffalo — waist length
Object Number
1985.66.41
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.41

Artwork Description

According to George Catlin, Mad Buffalo, a member of the Osage tribe, “was tried and convicted for the murder of two white men during Adams's administration, and was afterwards pardoned, and still lives, though in disgrace in his tribe, as one whose life has been forfeited.” Catlin painted this portrait at Fort Gibson (in present-day Oklahoma) in 1834. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 38, 1841; reprint 1973)