Assinneboine Chief before and after Civilization
1861/1869
Artist, American, 1796 - 1872

During the mid-19th century, George Catlin created two large collections of paintings featuring portraits of Native Americans, genre scenes, and western landscapes. The first collection, which he called his "Indian Gallery," included more than 500 works completed during the 1830s. Most of the surviving paintings from this group are now at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC. During the 1850s and 1860s, Catlin created a second collection, numbering more than 600 works, which he called his "Cartoon Collection." The surviving works from this collection were acquired by the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 1912. Paul Mellon purchased more than 300 paintings from the Cartoon Collection when they were deaccessioned. In 1965, he gave 351 works from this collection to the National Gallery of Art.
When Catlin exhibited the Cartoon Collection in New York in 1871, he published a catalog listing all the works. The catalog entries often included additional information about the subject of each painting. Catlin's catalog entry for this painting follows.
"Cart. No. 83. Assineboíne.
a. -- Wi-jún-jon (The Pigeon’s Egg Head); an Assineboine chief, on his way to Washington, invited by President Jackson, in 1832.
b. -- Wi-jún-jon (The Pigeon’s Egg Head); on his return to the Upper Missouri, in 1833. These portraits were both painted in St. Louis, on his way to Washington, and on his return, in the costumes here represented, showing the effects of one year of civilizing in the city of Washington."
Artwork overview
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Medium
oil on card mounted on paperboard
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Credit Line
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Dimensions
overall: 46.9 x 64 cm (18 7/16 x 25 3/16 in.)
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Accession
1965.16.33
Artwork history & notes
Provenance
George Catlin [1796-1872]; by descent to his daughters, Clara Gregory Catlin, Louise Catlin Kinney, and Elizabeth Wing Catlin; purchased 1912 from Elizabeth Wing Catlin by the American Museum of Natural History; sold 1959 through (Kennedy Galleries, New York) to Mr. Paul Mellon, Upperville, VA; gift 1965 to the NGA.
Associated Names
Exhibition History
1964
Loan for display with permanent collection, Whitney Gallery of Western Art, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming, 1964-1974.
1980
American Indian Life: Paintings by George Catlin, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1980.
1982
Extended loan for use by the Ambassador, U.S. Embassy residence, Oslo, Norway, 1982-1985.
1985
George Catlin: Pioneer Painter of the North American Indian, Montclair Art Museum, New Jersey, 1985-1986.
1989
A Gallery Revived: North American Indian Paintings by George Catlin, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming, 1989.
Bibliography
1970
American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 24.
1980
American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 39, repro.
Wilmerding, John. American Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1980: 74, repro.
1981
Williams, William James. A Heritage of American Paintings from the National Gallery of Art. New York, 1981: 78, repro. 79.
1988
Wilmerding, John. American Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art. Rev. ed. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1988: 84, repro.
1992
American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 45, repro.
Wikidata ID
Q20188439