George Catlin

Painter of Indian Life

Richard Worth

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781317469902
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

First Published in 2009. This book brings together the work of George Catlin's illustrations and observations of the American Indian tribes, lands, people and way of living, and peoples, initially exhibited in New York city in September 1837

The history and customs of such a people, preserved by pictorial illustrations, are themes worthy of the life-time of one man.
George Catlin. John Neagle, date unknown

CHAPTER ONE

Exhibit in New York City

The history and customs of such a people, preserved by pictorial illustrations, are themes worthy of the life-time of one man.
–George Catlin

In September 1837, an unusual exhibit opened in New York City. In fact, nothing I like it had ever been seen in the United States. At first, only a few people came to the exhibition, which was held in Clinton Hall. But as word spread, the crowds grew larger. Eventually, 600 people packed into the hall on a single evening. And each person paid 50¢, a fairly large sum of money in those days.

New Yorkers had gathered to see the paintings of a little-known artist named George Catlin. Since 1830, the wiry forty-one-year-old Catlin had traveled among American Indian tribes living in the West. Carrying his paints and canvases, the artist had recorded the cultures of the forty-eight tribes that he had visited.

Catlin’s portraits were breathtaking. They presented the proud people of the western Great Plains. Catlin had captured the timeless expressions of chiefs, medicine men, veteran warriors, and beautiful Indian women. They were clothed in long, flowing headdresses, finely decorated clothing made from animal skins, and a wide assortment of jewelry.

In addition to portraits, Catlin also had painted many scenes showing Indian customs. Some scenes showed the Plains warriors hunting buffalo, others presented native religious ceremonies, and still others were windows into tribal village life. In addition to displaying his paintings in the exhibit, Catlin also included many items that he had collected on his journeys. There were Comanche war lances and a tepee from the Crow Indians, as well as drums, peace pipes, shields, spears, and tomahawks.

“The head chief of the Black Feet Nation,” Catlin wrote, “is a good looking and dignified Indian, about fifty years of age, and superbly dressed.”

Each night during the exhibit, Catlin spoke enthusiastically about the Indian culture of the West. Many people regarded the Indians as savages. But Catlin had found that they treated him with great kindness and respect. And they always had dealt honestly with him. The artist went on to say that white men frequently had not treated the Indians in the same way.

PHILIP HONE, DIARIST OF NEW YORK

During the early nineteenth century, Philip Hone was a well-to-do resident of New York City. Hone kept a diary in which he recorded many of the events that occurred in the city.

Among these was the exhibition presented by George Catlin in 1837. “The enthusiasm, zeal and perseverance with which he has followed his pursuit are admirable,” Hone wrote. “I have seldom witnessed so interesting an exhibition.”

Treaties had been made with the Indian tribes, only to be broken, Catlin said. White traders had used alcohol to take advantage of the Indians, purchasing large piles of precious beaver furs for as little as a single bottle of liquor. Soldiers also had brought deadly disease to the Indians.

Although some white people who saw the exhibit praised Catlin’s work, others were openly skeptical. They did not believe all that the artist was telling them. Many regarded Indians as bloodthirsty savages, thieves, and murderers. They thought that the Native American lifestyle was far inferior to their own.

Catlin showed them his portrait of Keokuk (Kee-o-kuk), chief of the Sauk and Fox tribes, seated on a magnificent horse. Many people in the audience said that no Indian horse could be that beautiful. But in November, Kee-o-kuk himself appeared at the exhibit. Catlin asked the crowd “why Kee-o-kuk could not ride as good a horse as any white man.” They had no answer.

Catlin praised the simplicity of a people who were not primarily interested in material possessions. But he also presented a dark side of the Indian way of life. One of these was a ceremony called O-kee-pa, practiced by the Mandan tribe. In this ritual, boys were initiated into manhood through brutal torture. When audiences saw Catlin’s pictures of the O-kee-pa ceremony, they doubted what the artist was showing them. Although he had certificates from witnesses to prove what he had seen, Catlin was harshly questioned by many observers. They simply did not believe him.

The chief of the Sauk and Fox tribes, Kee-o-kuk, and his followers did not oppose the advance of whites. They moved first west of the Mississippi and then to a reservation in Kansas. Kee-o-kuk died there in 1848.
Kee-o-kuk on Horseback. Sauk and Fox. George Catlin, 1835

These mixed reactions to George Catlin, his striking paintings, and his controversial opinions would follow him throughout his career. But he never wavered in his courageous commitment to present the true story of the Plains Indians. Catlin was among the first Americans to dedicate themselves to such a mission—to record a unique way of life before it disappeared.

Interior View of the Medicine Lodge, Mandan O-kee-pa Ceremony. George Catlin, 1832

Catlin painted the medicine lodge where the brutal coming-of-age ritual called O-kee-pa was held. The young men’s survival of the ordeal was proof that they were protected by the Great Spirit. “My heart has sickened with disgust for so abominable and ignorant a custom,” wrote Catlin, “and still I stand ready with all my heart, to excuse and forgive them for adhering so strictly to an ancient celebration.”

Catlin grew up near the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. Perhaps he dreamed of traveling down it. As an adult, he would spend many months aboard riverboats, which carried him to the Native American tribes far to the west.
Rapids of the Susquehanna River. Frederic Edwin Church, date unknown

CHAPTER TWO

The Early Years

The plows in my father’s fields were daily turning up Indian skulls or India...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• George Catlin’s Creed
• Map
• Chapter One Exhibit in New York City
• Chapter Two The Early Years
• Chapter Three Beginning a Life’s Work
• Chapter Four Painting the West
• Chapter Five The Wild West Show
• Chapter Six Last Adventures
• Glossary
• Time Line
• Further Research
• Bibliography
• Index