An Apachee Village

1855/1869

George Catlin

Associated Names
George Catlin
Artist, American, 1796 - 1872
The image features a landscape with numerous conical tents arranged in a village. In the background, there is a line of trees marking the horizon, with low hills and a body of water further away. The sky shows a gradient from golden yellows to soft blues. Figures and tents are scattered across the landscape, indicating human activity. The color palette consists mainly of warm earthy tones, with the sky casting a soft light over the scene.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

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. 278.

AN APACHEE VILLAGE, on Lake Ahrocum, at sunset. 1855." 

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on card mounted on paperboard

  • Credit Line

    Paul Mellon Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 45.7 x 62.3 cm (18 x 24 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1965.16.200

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

1954

  • Our Western Frontiers, Newark Museum, 1954, no cat.

1955

  • Opening of the West, Newark Museum, 1955, no cat.

1967

  • Catlin, Bodmer, Miller: Artist Explorers of the 1830's, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska, 1967-1974.

1982

  • Extended loan for use by The White House, Washington, D.C., 1982-1989.

1990

  • Extended loan for use by Ambassador Christopher Phillips, U.S. Embassy residence, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, 1990-1991.

1992

  • Extended loan for use by Ambassador Richard Stone, U.S. Embassy residence, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1992-1993.

1998

  • American Light: Selections from the National Gallery of Art, Art Museum of Western Virginia, Roanoke, 1998, no cat.

2000

  • Extended loan for use by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, The Supreme Court of the United States, Washington, D.C., 2000-2017.

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: 38, repro.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 44, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q20188249

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