Mrs. George Catlin (Clara Bartlett Gregory)

George Catlin, Mrs. George Catlin (Clara Bartlett Gregory), ca. 1828, watercolor on ivory, sight 2 ¹⁄₂ x 2 in. (6.4 x 5.2 cm) rectangle, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1948.4.1

Free to use

Artwork Details

Title: Mrs. George Catlin (Clara Bartlett Gregory)
Artist: George Catlin
Date: ca. 1828
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: sight 2 ¹⁄₂ x 2 in. (6.4 x 5.2 cm) rectangle
Credit Line: Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund
Mediums: watercolor
Mediums Description: watercolor on ivory
Classifications: Painting
Miniature
Subjects: Portrait female — Catlin, George, Mrs. — bust
Portrait female — Catlin, Clara Bartlet — bust
Object Number: 1948.4.1
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1948.4.1

Artwork Description

Clara Bartlett Gregory (1807-1845) met and married George Catlin in her hometown of Albany, New York, while he was there to paint Governor De Witt Clinton. It is likely that this miniature was painted during their courtship or just after their marriage in 1828. Despite her frail health, she accompanied her husband on one of his five journeys west and supported his efforts to capture the likenesses of Native Americans. She and their youngest son died while visiting Paris in 1845, a loss that devastated the artist.