Boy Chief - Ojibbeway

1843

George Catlin

Painter, American, 1796 - 1872

George Catlin

The head, shoulders, and chest of a young man with brown skin, dressed in Ojibbeway tribal attire, faces and looks at us in this vertical portrait painting. The right side of his face, on our left, is painted crimson red, and horizonal stripes of red and white line his other cheek. He looks at us with dark brown eyes under black eyebrows. A silvery white ring hangs from his nose between his nostrils. His upper lip is darker than his skin-colored lower lip, and his mouth is closed. His brown fur headdress has a cardinal-red patch at the front center. Pearl-white feathers with red tips hang along both sides of his face and down to his shoulders. The sleeves of his tan coat are streaked with sky blue, tomato red, and lemon-lime green, and fringe of the same colors hangs along the arms. Fur lining at the neck follows the curve of a string of curving, white claws and a glinting string of silvery-gray beads. He also wears a high, beaded collar with white and dark brown geometric pattern. A strap crosses his chest. The background behind him is mottled with sage green, tan, and cream white.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Paul Mellon Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 71 x 58.3 cm (27 15/16 x 22 15/16 in.)
    framed: 80 x 67.6 cm (31 1/2 x 26 5/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1965.16.349


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

1966

  • Extended loan for use by the Diplomatic Reception Rooms, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C., 1966-Nov. 1981, Mar. 1982-1990.

1980

  • American Indian Life: Paintings by George Catlin, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1980.

1981

  • George Catlin, Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, 1981-1982.

2002

  • George Catlin and His Indian Gallery, Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C., 2002-2003, not in cat.

Bibliography

1970

  • American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 29.

1980

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 89, repro.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 49, repro.

Wikidata ID

Q20187040


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