Lac du Cygne (Swan Lake), Near the Coteau des Prairies

George Catlin, Lac du Cygne (Swan Lake), Near the Coteau des Prairies, 1836-1837, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.348
Copied George Catlin, Lac du Cygne (Swan Lake), Near the Coteau des Prairies, 1836-1837, oil on canvas, 19 1⁄2 x 27 1⁄2 in. (49.5 x 70.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.348
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Artwork Details

Title
Lac du Cygne (Swan Lake), Near the Coteau des Prairies
Artist
Date
1836-1837
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
19 1⁄2 x 27 1⁄2 in. (49.5 x 70.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Western
  • Landscape — lake — Lac du Cygne
  • Landscape — Wisconsin — Coteau des Prairies
Object Number
1985.66.348
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1985.66.348

Artwork Description

“After having glutted our curiosity at the fountain of the Red Pipe, our horses brought us to the base of the Coteau, and then over the extended plain that lies between that and the Traverse de Sioux, on the St. Peters . . . In this distance we passed some of the loveliest prairie country in the world, and I made a number of sketches--- ‘Laque du Cygne, Swan Lake,’ was a peculiar and lovely scene, extending for many miles, and filled with innumerable small islands covered with a profusion of rich forest trees.” George Catlin made this sketch in 1836, on his return trip from the Pipestone Quarry in present-day Minnesota. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 2, no. 56, 1841; reprint 1973)