Flathead Indians

1861

George Catlin

Associated Names
George Catlin

Artist, American, 1796 - 1872

This painting shows four people standing by the edge of a body of water, with two of the people close to us and two farther away. They are all facing the left, towards the pale blue water that is framed by large gray rocks. In the pair closest to us, a person is standing with one leg forward, holding a large fish in both hands. They have long, dark hair, and they are wearing several earrings in their visible ear and a skirt made of thin strips of brown fringe or fibers with a colorful yellow-and-red belt. Hanging on their back is a child in cradle, swaddled in tan cloth decorated with colorful yellow bands. Behind them stands another adult who is wrapped in a light-colored blanket with a red stripe along the edges. Below the blanket, they wear tan pants and tan shoes with small dots of yellow, blue, and red. Beside these people, on the grassy ground, is a basket of gray fish. The pair that is farther away is painted with less detail, but one person appears to stand and fire an arrow into the water, while the other sits next to a basket of fish, holding one of the fish up. All of the people have light brown skin and long, dark hair. The setting appears to be outdoors, with a blurred background in shades of green and blue. The painting is surrounded by a border of off-white paper.

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. 89. Flatheád.

a. -- Hoogst-áh-a (-----); chief of a band, wrapped in his blanket.

b. -- Lée-le (-----); a Flathead woman, wife of the chief, with her infant in its crib [or cradle] undergoing the process of flattening the head.

c. -- (-----); a Flathead boy, taking salmon with his harpoon arrows.

A numerous tribe, inhabiting the lower Columbia and Vancouver’s Island."

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on card mounted on paperboard

  • Credit Line

    Paul Mellon Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 45.7 x 60.4 cm (18 x 23 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1965.16.149

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

1971

  • An Exhibition of Paintings and Lithographs by George Catlin, Artist Historian, Tennessee Fine Arts Center, Nashville, 1971, no. 22.

1973

  • George Catlin: Painter of the Indians of the Americas, Sordoni Art Gallery (Opening Exhibition), Wilkes College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 1973, no. 18, repro.

1989

  • A Gallery Revived: North American Indian Paintings by George Catlin, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming, 1989.

1990

  • North American Indian Paintings by George Catlin (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, 1990-1991.

1992

  • North American Indian Paintings by George Catlin (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Palm Springs Desert Museum, 1992-1993.

1993

  • North American Indian Paintings by George Catlin (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Boise Art Museum, Idaho, 1993.

1994

  • North American Indian Paintings by George Catlin (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Hofstra Museum, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, 1994.

  • North American Indian Paintings by George Catlin (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), West Bend Gallery of Fine Arts, Wisconsin, 1994.

1995

  • North American Indian Paintings by George Catlin (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Payne Gallery, Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1995, unnumbered brochure.

  • North American Indian Paintings by George Catlin (NGA National Lending Service exhibition), Lore Degenstein Gallery, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, 1995.

Bibliography

1970

  • American Paintings and Sculpture: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1970: 27.

1980

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1980: 65, repro.

1992

  • American Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 66, repro.

Inscriptions

lower right: Geo. Catlin. 1861.

Wikidata ID

Q20188505

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