Há-tchoo-túc-knee, Snapping Turtle, a Half-breed

George Catlin, Há-tchoo-túc-knee, Snapping Turtle, a Half-breed, 1834, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.296

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Artwork Details

Title: Há-tchoo-túc-knee, Snapping Turtle, a Half-breed
Artist: George Catlin
Date: 1834
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
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2nd Floor
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South Wing
Dimensions: 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Portrait male — Snapping Turtle
Indian — Choctaw
Object Number: 1985.66.296
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.296

Artwork Description

Like the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, and Seminole, the Choctaw were farmers, plantation owners, and educated professionals. Snapping Turtle, also known as Peter Pitchlynn, was a graduate of the University of Nashville and George Catlin’s source for “much curious and valuable information, of the history and traditions of his tribe.” Catlin painted his portrait at Fort Gibson, Arkansas Territory, in 1834.