Ball-play of the Choctaw--Ball Down

About this artwork

In Choctaw lacrosse, which George Catlin witnessed in 1834, each team was cheered on by friends, family, and fans who camped at the opposite ends of the field to watch the game and bet on its outcome. Catlin noted that women did much of the wagering, which involved “knives-dresses-blankets-pots and kettles-dogs and horses, and guns.”

Art Historical Context

George Catlin's *Ball-play of the Choaw--Ball Down* (1834-1835) captures a dynamic moment in a traditional Choctaw lacrosse game, *isht aboli*, which the artist personally witnessed that year during his travels through Native American territories. As a pioneering 19th-century painter dedicated to documenting Indigenous life before widespread displacement, Catlin created this oil painting as part of his vast "Indian Gallery," a collection aimed at preserving cultures for future generations. His realistic style, rooted in Romanticism, emphasizes the vigor and communal spirit of the players, froz...

About the Artist

George Catlin · 1796–1872

George Catlin (1796–1872), born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to Putnam Catlin and Polly Sutton—who had been captured by Native Americans during the 1778 Battle of Wyoming—initially pursued a legal career. Trained at Litchfield Law School, he was admitted to the bar in 1819 but abandoned law after two years to study art in Philadelphia in 1823. Self-taught as a portraitist, Catlin quickly gained ...