La-dóo-ke‑a, Buffalo Bull, a Grand Pawnee Warrior

George Catlin, La-dóo-ke-a, Buffalo Bull, a Grand Pawnee Warrior, 1832, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.100
Copied George Catlin, La-dóo-ke-a, Buffalo Bull, a Grand Pawnee Warrior, 1832, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.100
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Artwork Details

Title
La-dóo-ke‑a, Buffalo Bull, a Grand Pawnee Warrior
Artist
Date
1832
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
  • Object — weapon — bow and arrow
  • Dress — Indian dress
  • Dress — accessory — jewelry
  • Indian — Pawnee
  • Portrait male — Buffalo Bull — full length
Object Number
1985.66.100
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.100

Artwork Description

Described by George Catlin “as a warrior of great distinction,” Buffalo Bull appears “with his medicine or totem (the head of a buffalo) painted on his breast and his face, with bow and arrow in his hands.” This unfinished portrait provides a key to Catlin’s working methods in the West, where he had to work quickly. During Buffalo Bull’s sitting, Catlin focused on his face and his totem (the buffalo head painted on his chest, partially hidden behind a large peace medal). The artist usually finished bodies and costume details in an urban studio. (Catlin, Letters and Notes , vol. 2, no. 34, 1841, reprint 1973; Gurney and Heyman, eds., George Catlin and His Indian Gallery , 2002)