Butte de Mort, Sioux Burial Ground, Upper Missouri

George Catlin, Butte de Mort, Sioux Burial Ground, Upper Missouri, 1837-1839, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.475
George Catlin, Butte de Mort, Sioux Burial Ground, Upper Missouri, 1837-1839, oil on canvas, 20 x 27 3⁄8 in. (50.9 x 69.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.475
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Artwork Details

Title
Butte de Mort, Sioux Burial Ground, Upper Missouri
Artist
Date
1837-1839
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
20 x 27 3⁄8 in. (50.9 x 69.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — horse
  • Western
  • Figure group — male
  • Landscape — cemetery
  • Landscape — river — Missouri River
  • Landscape — United States — Butte De Mort
  • Indian — Teton Sioux
Object Number
1985.66.475
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.475

Artwork Description

George Catlin probably sketched this image on his Missouri River voyage in 1832, but did not produce a finished painting for several years. In his 1848 Catalogue, Catlin noted that the French called this Sioux burial ground Butte de Mort, or “Hill of Death,” and that the Indians regarded the site “with great dread and superstition. There are several thousand buffalo and human skulls, perfectly bleached and curiously arranged about it.” (Catlin, 1848 Catalogue, Catlin’s Indian Gallery, SAAM online exhibition)

Works by this artist (61 items)

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Elihu Vedder, Volterra, 1860, oil on canvas mounted on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1977.105
Volterra
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Date1860
oil on canvas mounted on canvas
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Elihu Vedder, The Cup of Death, 1885 and 1911, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1912.3.3
The Cup of Death
Artist
Date1885 and 1911
oil on canvas
On view
Image Not Available
The Muse of Tragedy
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pastel
Not on view
Elihu Vedder, (Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) The Thoughtful Soul to Solitude Retires, 1883-1884, chalk, pencil, ink and watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase and gift from Elizabeth W. Henderson in memory of her husband Francis Tracy Henderson, 1978.108.8
(Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) The Thoughtful…
Artist
Date1883-1884
chalk, pencil, ink and watercolor on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

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Elihu Vedder, (Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) The Thoughtful Soul to Solitude Retires, 1883-1884, chalk, pencil, ink and watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase and gift from Elizabeth W. Henderson in memory of her husband Francis Tracy Henderson, 1978.108.8
(Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) The Thoughtful…
Artist
Date1883-1884
chalk, pencil, ink and watercolor on paper
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John James Audubon, Cardinal Grosbeak, 1811, chalk, pencil, watercolor and ink on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U. S. National Museum, 1953.3.1
Cardinal Grosbeak
Artist
Date1811
chalk, pencil, watercolor and ink on paper
Not on view
Elihu Vedder, (Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) Youth and Age, 1883-1884, chalk, pencil, ink and watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase and gift from Elizabeth W. Henderson in memory of her husband Francis Tracy Henderson, 1978.108.51
(Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) Youth and Age
Artist
Date1883-1884
chalk, pencil, ink and watercolor on paper
Not on view
Elihu Vedder, (Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) The Vine, 1883-1884, chalk, pencil, ink and watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase and gift from Elizabeth W. Henderson in memory of her husband Francis Tracy Henderson, 1978.108.34
(Illustration for Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám) The Vine
Artist
Date1883-1884
chalk, pencil, ink and watercolor on paper
Not on view