A Small Cheyenne Village

1861/1869

George Catlin

Associated Names
George Catlin
Artist, American, 1796 - 1872
The image shows a landscape scene framed in an oval shape. The view includes a native encampment with conical structures scattered across a grassy field. A hill in the background slopes gently upwards towards the horizon. The painting features smooth brushstrokes and realistic yet softly idealized vegetation and sky. The color palette consists of warm greens, browns, and earthy tones for the land, while the sky transitions from light blue to soft peach. In the distance, gentle hills fade into the background under a tranquil sky. The oval frame and muted border add to the serene quality of the scene.

Media Options

This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.

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. 402.

A CHEYENNE SMALL VILLAGE; beautiful grassy bluffs."

Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on card mounted on paperboard

  • Credit Line

    Paul Mellon Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 45.7 x 62.2 cm (18 x 24 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1965.16.41

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

1870

  • Indiens des deux Ameriques, Salle du Jardin, Brussels, 1870, no. 537.

1871

  • Catlin's Indian Cartoons, Somerville Gallery, New York, 1871, no. 402.

1872

  • Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 1872.

1876

  • Possibly Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia, 1876.

1956

  • George Catlin, American Indians: Paintings from The Collection of the American Museum of Natural History, Kennedy Galleries, Inc., New York, 1956.

1964

  • Loan for display with permanent collection, Whitney Gallery of Western Art, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming, 1964-1974.

1976

  • Extended loan for use by the Ambassador, U.S. Embassy residence, Kuwait, 1976-1979.

1982

  • Extended loan for use by The White House, Washington, D.C., 1982-1983.

1987

  • Extended loan for use by Ambassador Paul Cleveland, U.S. Embassy residence, Wellington, New Zealand, 1987-1989.

2001

  • Extended loan for use by The White House, Washington, D.C., 2001-2023.

Bibliography

1970

  • American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 26.

1980

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 105, repro.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 91, repro.

Inscriptions

lower left on card: A/134; upper center on board on applied paper: 402; reverse in graphite: 402

Wikidata ID

Q20188589

You may be interested in

You may be interested in