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George Catlin, Sioux Indians on Snowshoes Lancing Buffalo, 1846-1848, oil on canvas, 20 1⁄8 x 27 3⁄8 in. (51.0 x 69.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.565
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Sioux Indians on Snowshoes Lancing Buffalo
- Artist
- Date
- 1846-1848
- Location
- Dimensions
- 20 1⁄8 x 27 3⁄8 in. (51.0 x 69.4 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr.
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- oil on canvas
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Figure group — male
- Occupation — hunter
- Landscape — season — winter
- Animal — buffalo
- Indian — Sioux
- Object Number
- 1985.66.565
Artwork Description
“In the dead of the winters, which are very long and severely cold in this country, where horses cannot be brought into the chase with any avail, the Indian runs upon the surface of the snow by the aid of his snow shoes, which buoy him up, while the great weight of the buffaloes, sinks them down to the middle of their sides, and completely stopping their progress, ensures them certain and easy victims to the bow or lance of their pursuers.” George Catlin painted this image in Paris between 1846 and 1848. (Catlin, Letters and Notes, vol. 1, no. 31, 1841; reprint 1973)