Comanche Lodge of Buffalo Skins

George Catlin, Comanche Lodge of Buffalo Skins, 1834-1835, oil on canvas, 24 x 29 in. (60.9 x 73.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.493

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Artwork Details

Title: Comanche Lodge of Buffalo Skins
Artist: George Catlin
Date: 1834-1835
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 24 x 29 in. (60.9 x 73.7 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Western
Animal — horse
Figure male — full length
Indian — Comanche
Architecture Exterior — domestic — teepee
Object Number: 1985.66.493
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.493

Artwork Description

With the arrival of horses on the Great Plains, nomadic hunters like the Comanche, who had previously relied on dogs to transport the poles and covers of their tipis, could live in much bigger and heavier shelters. George Catlin’s painting shows the horseman Little Spaniard arriving in camp, and was sketched at a Comanche village in 1834.