Sac and Fox Sailing in Canoes

Media - 1985.66.479 - SAAM-1985.66.479_1 - 81564
Copied George Catlin, Sac and Fox Sailing in Canoes, 1837-1839, oil on canvas, 19 1227 58 in. (49.670.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.479
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Sac and Fox Sailing in Canoes
Date
1837-1839
Dimensions
19 1227 58 in. (49.670.1 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group
  • Landscape — river
  • Western
  • Travel — water — canoe
  • Indian — Sauk and Fox
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — teepee
Object Number
1985.66.479

Artwork Description

“I was often amused at their freaks in their canoes, whilst travelling; and I was induced to make a sketch of one which I frequently witnessed, that of sailing with the aid of their blankets, which the men carry; and when the wind is fair, stand in the bow of the canoe and hold by two corners, with the other two under the foot or tied to the leg; while the women sit in the other end of the canoe, and steer it with their paddles.” (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 56, 1841; reprint 1973)