Mouth of the Platte River, 900 Miles above St. Louis

George Catlin, Mouth of the Platte River, 900 Miles above St. Louis, 1832, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.369
Copied George Catlin, Mouth of the Platte River, 900 Miles above St. Louis, 1832, oil on canvas, 11 1⁄4 x 14 3⁄8 in. (28.5 x 36.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.369
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Mouth of the Platte River, 900 Miles above St. Louis
Artist
Date
1832
Location
Dimensions
11 1⁄4 x 14 3⁄8 in. (28.5 x 36.6 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — river — Platte River
  • Indian
  • Western
  • Figure group — male
Object Number
1985.66.369
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.369

Artwork Description

“The mouth of the Platte,” George Catlin wrote, “is a beautiful scene, and no doubt will be the site of a large and flourishing town, soon after the Indian titles shall have been extinguished to the lands in these regions . . . The Platte is a long and powerful stream, pouring in from the Rocky Mountains.” The artist painted this work in 1832 on his first extended voyage up the Missouri River. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 32, 1841, reprint 1973; Truettner, The Natural Man Observed, 1979)