Wife of The Six

George Catlin, Wife of The Six, 1832, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.195
Copied George Catlin, Wife of The Six, 1832, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.195
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Wife of The Six
Artist
Date
1832
Location
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
  • Portrait female — Six, Wife of
  • Indian — Ojibwa
Object Number
1985.66.195
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.195

Artwork Description

This woman was “Not the most agreeable” of the Six's several wives, according to George Catlin. The artist made few compromises in representing the blunt, heavy features and powerful contours of this woman's head. Such studies among the more civilized eastern tribes, whom he painted three or four years later, are rare. Catlin executed this work at Fort Union in the upper Midwest in 1832. (Truettner, The Natural Man Observed, 1979)