Mandan Scalping an Enemy

George Catlin, Mandan Scalping an Enemy, 1835-1837, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.498
George Catlin, Mandan Scalping an Enemy, 1835-1837, oil on canvas, 19 1⁄2 x 27 1⁄2 in. (49.6 x 70.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.498
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Artwork Details

Title
Mandan Scalping an Enemy
Artist
Date
1835-1837
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
19 1⁄2 x 27 1⁄2 in. (49.6 x 70.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Indian — Mandan
  • State of being — evil — war
  • Figure group — male
Object Number
1985.66.498
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.498

Artwork Description

George Catlin described this painting as a tale from the Mandans of “a Conqueror conquered” and noted that it “took place in front of the Mandan village.” Catlin sketched the scene in 1835 and completed the painting in his studio between 1835 and 1857. (Catlin, 1848 Catalogue, Catlin’s Indian Gallery, SAAM online exhibition; Truettner, The Natural Man Observed, 1979)

Works by this artist (7 items)

View all artworks
Mary Cassatt, The Caress, 1902, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1911.2.1
The Caress
Artist
Date1902
oil on canvas
On view
Image Not Available
Mary and Child
Artist
chromolithographic reproduction
Not on view
Mary Cassatt, Woman Bathing (poster), poster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1969.65.26A
Woman Bathing (poster)
Artist
poster
Not on view
Mary Cassatt, The Banjo Lesson, ca. 1893, drypoint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Robert Tyler Davis Memorial Fund, 1981.100
The Banjo Lesson
Artist
Dateca. 1893
drypoint on paper
Not on view