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George Catlin, Seet-sé-be-a, Midday Sun, a Pretty Girl, 1832, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. (73.7 x 60.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.175
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Seet-sé-be‑a, Midday Sun, a Pretty Girl
- Artist
- Date
- 1832
- Location
- 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
- Keywords
- Portrait
- Dress — Indian dress
- Indian — Hidatsa
- Portrait female — Midday Sun — full length
- Architecture Exterior — domestic — hut
- Object Number
- 1985.66.175
Artwork Description
George Catlin explained that his model, a young Hidatsa woman, was “a descendent from the old chief . . . a fair sample of them, and dressed in beautiful costume of the mountain-sheep skin, handsomely garnished with porcupine quills and beads.” The young girl had repeatedly refused to let Catlin paint her portrait, claiming that she was not pretty enough for such an honor. But her relatives insisted that she sit for Catlin, who described her as “more than comely.” (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 1, no. 23, 1841; reprint 1973)