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, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.362,054
Copied 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
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Little Bear, Steep Wind, The Dog; Three Distinguished Warriors of the Sioux Tribe
Artist
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
Mediums Description
oil on paperboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — Steep Wind
  • Portrait male — Little Bear
  • Portrait male — Dog
  • Indian — Sioux
  • Indian — Dakota
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)